On the 20th March 2024 Cabinet approved the Dudley Borough Economic Regeneration Strategy (ERS). It sets out an ambitious ‘route map’ for the borough over the next ten years. To shape a more prosperous, more fair and more sustainable economy in which businesses and communities thrive.
The Strategy seeks to achieve the following outcomes for the Borough:
new businesses are formed and existing businesses grow – including in new sectors.
inward investors choose to locate.
local people develop new skills and can ‘pivot’ as new opportunities come to the area.
town centres are vibrant and sustainable, attractive both to local people and visitors.
the quality of the natural and built environment (including heritage assets) are recognised at the heart of the visitor economy and more generally.
communities and businesses are connected by a high-quality transport infrastructure across the borough.
significant progress is being made towards net zero carbon.
everyone can reach their potential.
The Strategy sets out four key themes and a cross-cutting priority that should underpin actions and investment.
To reposition Dudley as a borough of enterprise and innovation at the heart of the West Midlands. This means creating new opportunities for businesses to start up, grow and invest. To create well-paid, sustainable jobs in both established industrial strengths and across a diverse, broadbased economy. The strategy proposes action in four priority areas:
creating space for business growth.
increasing productivity and innovation in Dudley’s manufacturing ‘core’.
developing a wider environment for innovation across the economy.
building stronger networks of support.
Over recent years, there have been major changes across the labour market in the borough – in part because of economic restructuring. Residents are more highly qualified than they were before, but employers can recruit neither the skills nor the number of people that they need to grow. The strategy proposes action in several priority areas:
Strengthen links between employers, schools and providers to equip people for changing jobs.
Support local people to access skills, training and education opportunities, especially those currently furthest away from the labour market.
Leverage new investment coming into the borough to deliver skills and training opportunities for local people.
Develop and actively promote Dudley’s new and evolving higher education offer.
Dudley has substantial assets linked to heritage, culture and the visitor economy. These need to be seen as a key economic driver in their own right. More could be done with these assets – not least in giving them scale and visibility. A series of priorities have been defined in response.
Develop a stronger ‘package’ across different visitor economy attractions within the borough, helping to increase visitor numbers, dwell time and spend.
Promote Dudley as a cultural and creative borough.
Deliver more cultural events, particularly in the town centres, helping to change perceptions of the borough.
Explore the feasibility of new sport and/or cultural infrastructures within the borough.
The town centres across the borough – principally Brierley Hill, Dudley, Stourbridge, Lye and Halesowen – are at the heart of the local economy. They differ from each other, but all face challenges. Not least in the context of profound change across the retail sector. The town centres need to redefine their economic purposes, and the priorities to achieving that include:
Advancing a new economic vision for Dudley town centre through a Long-Term Town Plan.
Supporting partnership working in town centres across the borough to deliver change.
Developing Business Improvement Districts.
Promoting cultural and creativity across the borough’s town centres.
Working with developers to forge constructive working relationships across the borough in respect of town centre regeneration and delivery of investment into the Levelling Up Growth Zone.
The Borough needs to advance a major transformational connectivity opportunity. To maximise the economic impact of the first phases of Metro Extension. It also needs to make the case for investment in later phases of Metro and in other connectivity improvements. This will substantially enhance Dudley’s connectivity, linking key town centres and major developments and aligned with the Levelling Up Growth Zone. Over the coming decade, the Borough needs to maximise the impact of this new asset. Recognising that this is the first stage of a journey towards a better connected Borough, not the end of the story. The priority is to continue to advance a compelling economic case for investment in the network, including:
Maximising the benefits of the first phases of the Metro extension.
Making the case for future phases of the Metro.
Championing sustained efforts to improve connectivity.
