Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Community Strategy

A vision for Dudley Borough

Through the Dudley Borough Challenge we have set out a realistic and exciting vision for all who live and work in the Dudley Borough, and for those who visit the area. Our vision spans 15 years, looking ahead to 2020. There will be many changes and developments during this time, some of which we are aware of or can predict and others that we can’t foresee at the moment. It is important that we hold a strong and clear view of what we need to achieve in order to help us respond to changes in the right way, to make the most of opportunities and address challenges that might arise.

We enjoy enormous strengths in Dudley – our heritage, the strength of distinct towns and villages, the diverse nature of our communities, the quality of our local environment and our capacity for world-leading innovation in manufacturing. Most importantly of all, we have the strength of our local community, a community renowned for its tolerance, its industry and its local pride. The purpose of the Borough Challenge is to make the most of these strengths, to set clear priorities for what we need now and for the future.

This strategy has been developed by the Dudley Community Partnership, which includes the major public bodies, the private sector and the voluntary and community partnerships in the Borough.

As a partnership of local agencies and groups, we understand the importance of getting day-to-day matters right. Preparing a community strategy is not an excuse for failing to tackle issues that exist now. However, we also need to be concerned with what we want to achieve together in the future.

There are real challenges ahead, and we will need to work together to tackle them. By working to a shared vision, we have a much better chance to work together, exchange ideas, support each other and share resources.

We believe this community strategy reflects widespread public priorities and needs and is therefore written around such needs rather than simply linked to existing themes or partnership structures.

As a partnership we are committed to focusing upon these needs, with the continued engagement of local residents and communities throughout this time. In many ways, the challenge ahead intensifies as we implement the key actions contained in this strategy. On behalf of the partnership we look forward to moving ahead with these plans and to rise to the Dudley Borough Challenge.

Further information on Dudley Community Partnership