Dudley Liberal Democrats Unveil Radical Community Funding Proposal
Dudley's Liberal Democrats have announced what they describe as the most significant transfer of power from the council ever proposed, as local elections approach on May 7. The party, which is fielding a full slate of 25 candidates, aims to establish neighbourhood plans across the borough alongside mechanisms for residents to voluntarily fund community projects.
Citizens Investment Fund: A Voluntary Approach
Under the Liberal Democrats' proposed Citizens Investment Fund, individual residents would have the opportunity to pledge £50 or more toward community facilities. These could include items such as sports equipment or solar panels for community centres, allowing locals to directly invest in their neighbourhoods.
Dudley Liberal Democrat leader, Councillor Ryan Priest, emphasised the voluntary nature of the scheme. "We are saying to people you can voluntarily pay a bit extra to a community project and then see a return on that," he stated. "That's the way we upgrade facilities around Dudley, it's a way people can start to chip into their own communities."
Rejecting Claims of a 'Stealth Tax'
Councillor Priest firmly rejected any suggestion that the plan constitutes a stealth tax designed to boost council finances. Instead, he framed it as a strategy to liberate limited resources within the authority's budget for other priorities.
"A tax isn't voluntary," he argued. "We know our communities are quite run down and the council has done a bad job on managing that centrally – we want to empower people to be the agents of their own destiny. This is a way to fund projects the council is unlikely to be that interested in."
He acknowledged uncertainty about the scheme's uptake but expressed optimism based on past community engagement. "We don't know if it will take off but we have seen, when we have projects, people want to get involved in their community."
Learning from Past Setbacks
Councillor Priest, who represents Cradley North and Wollescote, has long championed devolving power to communities. His efforts faced a setback when a study in Cradley rejected the idea of a town council, with 82% of the 1,269 responses opposing it.
Despite this significant rejection, he remains committed to the principle. "Twenty-five percent of people were willing to pay for community projects, we could fund a lot in Cradley with that," he noted. "We take the message loud and clear, the outcome wasn't that people didn't think services weren't needed, it was the extra layer of government to facilitate that."
Broader Election Manifesto Commitments
The Liberal Democrat election manifesto for Dudley also includes plans to address fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour. Councillor Priest criticised the current council's approach, stating, "The council talks a good game but we rarely see any action, in Cradley and Wollescote fly-tipping has always been a problem."
Key proposals include:
- Pursuing stricter fines and enforcement for fly-tipping offenders.
- Introducing 'community skips' in each council ward, with periodic free bulky waste collections, pending cost assessments.
- Establishing a Rapid Response ASB Team to tackle bad behaviour, vandalism, and off-road bikes.
- Creating a property task force to close homes and businesses linked to criminal activity.
As the May 7 local elections draw near, these proposals highlight the Liberal Democrats' focus on community empowerment and practical solutions to local issues in Dudley.
