Former Dudley MP to stand as councillor for Reform

A Reform UK big hitter will be standing for Dudley Council elections and aiming to unseat the current deputy mayor.

Marco Longhi has revealed he will be contesting the Upper Gornal and Woodsetton ward when voters go to the polls on May 7.

Mr Longhi, who was a Conservative MP for Dudley before he joined Reform, will be looking to capture the seat from Labour’s Mushtaq Hussain.

During the campaign, Mr Longhi is prioritising issues including road maintenance and access to waste facilities.

He said: “How is it that we can spend many millions of pounds on cycle and bus lanes, grid-locking Dudley from all angles but we seem incapable of some of the most basic road maintenance activities to deal with dangerous potholes?

“The north of Dudley has always been at the sharp end of council’s ‘tough decisions’. 

“This will change under a Reform administration starting with the prioritising of access to a permanent waste recycling facility so people do not have to travel to Stourbridge.”

Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats got a boost in Stourbridge and Wollaston after winning the endorsement of another former Conservative councillor.

Nic Barlow, who represented the ward on Dudley Council for the Tories, has thrown his weight behind candidates Lois Bramall and David Sheppard.

Mr Barlow said: “Both are former Stourbridge councillors with a strong, proven track record of delivering for our community.

“As dedicated and visible campaigners, working alongside Andrew Tromans, they are committed to listening to residents and tackling the issues that affect our local area.

Andrew Tromans beat Mr Barlow in the 2024 local election to become one of three Labour councillors for the ward before he defected to the Liberal Democrats.

The deadline for nomination of candidates to stand in the May election is at 4pm on Thursday April 9 and a full list of who will be fighting it out for one of the 25 seats up for grabs in Dudley’s council chamber will be published within 24 hours.

Currently the council is run by a Conservative minority administration which has relied on support from the Liberal Democrats to win vital votes like the budget.

Voters will be selecting just over a third of the 72 Dudley borough councillors and while a change in overall control this year seems very unlikely, smaller groups may pack a punch as leaders look for deals to maintain control.

One of the smaller groups on the council is the Black Country Party which currently has six councillors.

The party’s Karen Westwood, Karl Denning and Matt Cook will be fighting to retain their places on the council while Wayne Lewis and Dave Woolley will be standing in Brierley Hill and Wordsley for the Black Country Party.

Pete Lowe, leader of the Black Country Party said: “We will be the alternative voice for those fed up with national politics and national parties.

“We are unapologetically from the Black Country, for the Black Country. 

“We will demand fair funding for our public services, affordable rents and homes for our communities, protect our precious green and open spaces.”