Sonia Kumar MP and Richard Parker back Dudley businesses as MP blasts council’s ‘£5,000 and red tape’ offer
West Midlands Mayor hears directly from town centre traders following years of disruption as £300,000 package aims to help Dudley benefit from new Metro and Interchange
Sonia Kumar MP has welcomed West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker to Dudley town centre to meet independent traders and hear first-hand about the challenges they have faced, as she criticised the Conservative-run council for offering businesses just £5,000 through an intensive application process.
Sonia and Richard walked through the town centre and met local business owners, including Mick Butler of The Pet Pantry, Kirsty Clift and Vicki Ray of Dream Days Bridal Wear and Nico Kumbetli of Cottage Bakers, discussing the pressures facing traders and what is needed to bring more people back into Dudley.
The visit comes at a crucial moment for the town centre after businesses have endured significant disruption during the construction of the new Dudley Interchange and Metro extension.
For businesses such as Dream Days Bridal Wear on Birdcage Walk, the impact has been particularly acute. Tracey Dale runs the business alongside Vicki Ray and Kirsty Clift with brides and their families travelling to Dudley for appointments that the team works hard to make a special and memorable experience.
The business has had to maintain that experience while major construction has taken place immediately outside.
Sonia said their experience demonstrated why businesses that have kept Dudley town centre going through the disruption now need meaningful support as the transport projects approach completion.
The West Midlands Combined Authority has announced a £300,000 package to support Dudley town centre, including £150,000 through Business Growth West Midlands to provide tailored support for shops and businesses surrounding the Interchange, £160,000 for public-realm improvements developed with businesses, and marketing and events activity designed to encourage more people to visit Dudley. (West Midlands Combined Authority)
Sonia Kumar MP, Member of Parliament for Dudley, said:
“Dudley’s independent businesses are working incredibly hard and they deserve serious backing.
“That’s why I wanted Richard to come to Dudley, walk around our town centre and, most importantly, hear directly from the people who open these businesses every morning about what they have been dealing with and what they need.
“Frankly, the Conservative-run council offering businesses just £5,000, locked behind an intensive application process and layers of red tape, is derisory. Our town centre needs ambition, not businesses being made to jump through hoops for relatively small pots of support.
“There is a stark contrast with the approach Richard and the West Midlands Combined Authority are taking – coming into Dudley, listening directly to our traders and backing the town centre with a £300,000 package.
“The Metro and new Interchange give Dudley a huge opportunity, but building new transport infrastructure alone won’t regenerate our town centre. We need people to get off the Metro, stay in Dudley, visit our shops, use our businesses and spend money locally.
“There are brilliant businesses already here. I want us to back them, attract new businesses and give people from across the Black Country more reasons to come into Dudley.
“I’ll continue standing up for our traders and pushing everyone with responsibility for Dudley town centre to show the ambition our businesses and residents deserve.”
During the visit, Richard and Sonia heard directly about the experience of businesses trading through the construction period and discussed how the arrival of the Metro and new Interchange can now be turned into increased footfall for the town centre.
‘We want every bride coming to Dudley to have a special experience’
Tracey Dale, from Dream Days Bridal Wear, which she runs alongside Vicki Ray and Kirsty Clift, said:
“The last two years have been incredibly challenging for us. With the Interchange works taking place right outside our door, access to this part of the town centre has been disrupted and we’ve had to work really hard to reassure customers that we’re still here, we’re open and we’re accessible.
“For us, that matters enormously because we’re not an ordinary shop where somebody simply pops in to buy something. Brides travel to Dudley specifically to visit us and choosing a wedding dress should be one of the most exciting and memorable experiences of their lives.
“From the moment a bride and her family arrive in Dudley, we want them to feel excited about their day. We don’t want their first experience to be worrying about roadworks, finding their way around barriers or wondering whether they can actually get to us.
“Vicki, Kirsty and I put so much into making every appointment personal, relaxed and special, and despite everything happening outside we’ve worked hard to make sure that experience hasn’t changed once customers walk through our doors.
“We’ve always believed the new Interchange and Metro can ultimately be really positive for Dudley. What we need now is for businesses like ours, which have lived through the disruption, to be properly supported so that we’re still here to benefit when these projects finally open.
“That’s why it was important to have Sonia and Richard here listening to businesses and understanding what the last couple of years have actually been like for us.”
Mick Butler, owner of The Pet Pantry, said:
“As a local business, what matters to us is getting more people back into Dudley town centre and through the doors of the businesses already here.
“I welcomed the opportunity to speak directly with Sonia and Richard about the realities of running a business in the town centre and why the support currently being offered by the council does not go far enough.
“It feels unfair that businesses are expected to account for VAT from whatever funding they receive, reducing the amount that can actually be used to help them. The grant also has to be spent on a restricted list of items and cannot be used to purchase stock.
“For a retail business like mine, investing in stock would allow me to sell more products, generate a return and put that money back into the business. That would provide more lasting value than being told to spend the grant on items that may not reflect what the business actually needs.
“There is a lot of potential in Dudley, but support needs to be flexible, practical and shaped around the realities facing individual traders. I hope the investment coming into the town will bring more people here and give our local businesses the boost they need.”
Nico Kumbetli, owner of Cottage Bakers, said:
“It was really positive to have Sonia and Richard come into the town centre and speak directly with local businesses about what we’re experiencing.
“Dudley has some fantastic independent businesses, but we need more people coming into the town and we need practical support that helps businesses grow.
“The new Metro and Interchange give Dudley a real opportunity, and it’s important that local businesses have a voice in what happens next.”
The £300,000 package is designed to help businesses capitalise on the substantial transport investment now nearing completion in Dudley.
Construction of the Wednesbury-to-Dudley Metro extension is complete, with testing and commissioning underway. The extension will add 14 stops across Sandwell and Dudley, including stops serving the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Zoo and Castle. (West Midlands Combined Authority)
The new Dudley Interchange, which replaces the former bus station, is also nearing completion and is expected to open to bus services in the autumn. (West Midlands Combined Authority)
Sonia said the focus must now be on ensuring the businesses which have traded through the disruption are among the biggest beneficiaries of the new infrastructure.
She added:
“For too long people have talked about Dudley’s potential. Our businesses have lived through the disruption and kept going. Now we need to make sure they share in the benefits and turn that potential into something people can actually see and feel when they walk through our town centre.”