New investment for Stourbridge Town Hall

Stourbridge Town Hall is set for improvements after Dudley Council approved cash for upgrades at the Market Street venue.

The authority’s group director for communities and growth, Nick NcGurk, has given the green light to an investment of £80,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The grant was provided by the West Midlands Combined Authority as part of an allocation of nearly £4 million for 2025/26.

Cllr Simon Phipps, Dudley cabinet member for economy and infrastructure said: “Part of our share of the UKSPF funding will be put towards improvements at Stourbridge Town Hall.

“The funding will help make the town hall an even more welcoming and enjoyable place to visit, with exact details of which refurbishments will be funded to be confirmed soon.

“This builds on the commitment the council has made to keep our town halls serving the public throughout the five year financial plan passed by the council in March.

“I know the town hall team are excited at the prospect of continuing to serve Stourbridge and the wider borough for years to come.”

There are a number of options under consideration for how the money will be spent including improvements to the bars allowing greater accessibility plus an upgrade for the hearing loop, refurbishment of the dressing room and an upgrade to CCTV, addition of steelwork to the roof to allow sound equipment to be hung or changes to seating arrangement for wider audience hire and weddings.

The total bill for all the proposals would top £150,000 so the council is considering what projects to fund with the approved £80,000.

The current round of approved UKSPF spending also includes £25,000 for improvements to pathways in Buffery Park in Dudley. A UKSPF Operations Group assessed a variety of schemes to fund before deciding on Stourbridge Town Hall and Buffery Park.

Notes accompanying the decision said the two schemes “offered engagement with the end user, demonstrated a community need, benefiting local people and contributed towards the key themes of the UK Shared Prosperity Grant Agreement, and demonstrated a variety of outcome, outputs and impact in their projects.”