Top politicians exchange blows over saved health centre

Leading politicians hit back at claims they nearly wrecked negotiations to secure the future of a Sedgley health centre.

An in-principle agreement for a new lease on the Ladies Walk Centre was announced at a public meeting on October 2 to replace the existing deal with Aviva who own the building.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Dudley Council’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, confirmed details of the deal and launched an attack on the Dudley’s current MP, Labour’s Sonia Kumar.

The Conservative council leader also had strong words for Dudley’s previous MP, Marco Longhi, who is now a high-profile Reform UK politician. Cllr

Harley said: “The former MP was most unhelpful by implying the building was going to be used for asylum seekers and refugees by planting the question ‘I have asked for clarity that it won’t be used for that’; straight away that gets people’s backs up.

“The current MP almost scuppered the deal from day one by saying she had someone who may be interested in buying, this completely clouded the issue.

“I did tell both of them to butt out and let council officers get on with their job.”

Mr Longhi says the council was not willing to take questions about whether the building was going to be used for asylum seekers. He said: “I attended meetings at which members of the public were seeking these clarifications.

“To be clear: I never implied or spread such rumours – Cllr Harley is desperate and his smear games won’t work.

“What I did was to stand up for local people: I interjected and said that everybody should be heard – including people who were fearful of the building’s future use.”

Mr Longhi added rumours about the future of the centre were rife online and he suggested the MP should ask for an assurance from the Home Secretary that the site would not be used for asylum seekers. M

s Kumar denies proposing an outside buyer and says she was focused on securing the centre for public use. She said: “The only party that came forward was Ridgeway Surgery, local NHS GPs, who offered a helping hand and stood up in local meetings offering to take on the property if the council failed to act.

“I personally met with the GPs and facilitated an introduction to the council, precisely because the council had no plan B.

“Their involvement was a constructive and community-driven solution, not a complication. “The community knows the truth. Residents have stood with me at public meetings, signed petitions, and made their voices heard. Their pressure, combined with my advocacy, is what brought this issue to the forefront and forced the council to act.”

After news of the provisional deal on Ladies Walk emerged, Cllr Harley praised the three Sedgely ward councillors for their contribution but added: “Unfortunately you’ve got some other politicians who had no influence at all trying to claim credit – and that is wrong.”

Ms Kumar is calling for an investigation into why the issue of renewing the lease was not resolved sooner – the current lease expires in March 2026.

She said: “ This matter should have been resolved years ago, not at the eleventh hour. The lack of foresight and planning from the council has caused unnecessary distress to staff, patients, and the wider community.”