Charity chief slams council for ‘resistance’ to waste land plan

The boss of a brain injury charity says Dudley Council is ignoring pleas to help expand their services.

Headway Black Country is based at a former Methodist church in Martin Hill Street, Dudley, offering rehabilitation for people with injuries caused either by illness or accidents.

The charity has around 100 clients at any time and is desperate to expand into land to the side of its premises which is currently blighted by antisocial behaviour, drug taking, fly-tipping and prostitution.

The charity says it would fence off the waste land and create an outdoor space which would be highly beneficial for its clients but the council has not responded to their approach.

Headway Black Country operations manager, Harmesh Raan, said: “We initially contacted the council approximately three years ago about whether that land would potentially become available.

“It’s been demonstrated over the years that outdoor activities, gardening, doing art outside, woodwork outside, can make a difference to people with brain injuries.

“If we could acquire that land it would make a huge difference to us however we have met with resistance each time we’ve tried to make any communication.”

Mr Raan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the council seems unwilling to even let the charity register an interest.

He said: “The council has told us because of the backlog or because of them being short staffed they are not even willing to put us on the list.

“It is hugely frustrating, we know this can make a huge difference to our clients.”

Councillor Daniel Bevan, Dudley cabinet member for development and regulation, said: “Dudley Council is always keen to support and champion local charities wherever possible.

“We are currently reviewing this matter and will be in contact with the charity concerned.”

The charity, which has been operating in the region for around 30 years and has clients from across the Black Country including people whose rehabilitation is being funded by Dudley Council, is also hitting another bureaucratic brick wall.

Headway Black Country owns a plot of vacant land next to its Dudley headquarters but cannot expand facilities onto it because they believe a derelict building next to it is unsafe and may collapse.

Mr Raan said: “We have been in communication with the council for three or four years, there was a fire some years ago so there is no roof on that building.

“The structure of the building is unsafe, we have had two visits from a structural engineer who has deemed the building dangerous.”

Mr Raan says the charity has been informed the bricks in the building are brittle and there are cracks in the walls.

He added: “We’ve had those conversations with the council yet they say to us that the building doesn’t present any danger to passers-by however that was contested by Headway.

“If that building were to collapse, the way the bricks would disperse and potentially the metal would cause damage to passers-by; it really is just a recipe for disaster.

“While the council is not putting pressure on the owner, we are no longer in a position to expand our services so that is restricting what we can do.”