Long-awaited report set to go before committee

Dudley councillors will finally get to see a long-awaited report which a senior politician branded an ‘unresolved saga’.

At a meeting on September 21, members of the council’s Audit Committee were told the results of an investigation into the collapse of a deal to sell a former leisure centre will be presented to them at their next meeting.

The report by external auditors Grant Thornton, into the failed sale of the site on Wellington Road in Dudley, was due to be finished in February 2026 and councillors have become increasingly frustrated by delays.

Dudley Labour leader and former Audit Committee member, Cllr Shaukat Ail, said: “Enough is enough, what should have been straightforward has become one of the longest unresolved sagas hanging over the council. 

“Residents deserve answers, and councillors deserve to see the findings. Meeting after meeting, assurances are given then nothing appears.”

Dudley Council’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, announced a deal to sell the centre in March 2024 but the authority later pulled out prompting calls for an investigation.

At the Audit Committee meeting Dudley Council chief executive, Balvinder Heran, told members: “It had been anticipated the report may be ready for September but there was some further due diligence to be completed.

“We anticipate it will be available either at the next Audit Committee or we can arrange a special meeting for that item.”

Andrew Smith, from Grant Thornton, added: “The draft report was made available to the council in mid-May, we have had to go through a process of making sure everyone is happy with factual accuracy of the findings.

“We have had to share the report with certain individuals given there are certain individuals identified in the report, which is standard practice for a report of this nature.

“That process has taken longer than normal for a report like this, we do have to make sure we consider all the points that have been raised.”

Speaking in December 2025, Cllr Harley dismissed fears the auditor’s findings would be kept under wraps. He said: “It will be made public, I’ve got nothing to hide; there is nothing to see here.”

The Wellington Road site was sold in February 2025 to Halesowen-based developer Revelan for £1.7m.