Dudley’s local elections will see a new name on the ballot paper with the arrival of The Black Country Party.
Formed in 2025, the party is aiming to be different from other groups by looking to influence decision-making rather than chasing political power.
There are currently six members of the party on Dudley Council, all former Labour politicians who left after becoming disillusioned by Keir Starmer’s government.
Black Country Party leader, Cllr Pete Lowe, said: “We are not seeking to take overall control of the council, we are putting forward five local candidates in five wards where we believe we have a base.
“I honestly believe the party system in local government is not only broken, I think it is dead.
“We want to create a different form of politics rooted in the community, not the rosette; every candidate has a clear base in their community.”
One way in which The Black Country Party says it is doing things differently is by holding public meetings to determine policy and create their manifesto.
Cllr Lowe said: “We publicly go out and engage with the community on a weekly basis, we get involved in non-party political issues.”
The Black Country Party aims to use its influence, in what they expect to be a politically diverse council chamber after the election, to demand the authority’s leaders lobby for more cash from Westminster.
Cllr Lowe said: “We think there should be a significant overhaul of funding to local government.
“It should be as it was in 2009 – for places like Dudley that would mean an additional £160m.
“That money has disappeared somewhere and it certainly is not to people who undertake public service.
“The debate has to be had because local government is losing too much influence, people who are elected can’t make decisions the people who elect them want them to make.”
“The debate has to be had because local government is losing too much influence, people who are elected can’t make decisions the people who elect them want them to make.”
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