I am pleased to let you know about some great progress we've made in my campaign to regenerate Lye and Stourbridge Town Centre.
Last Friday, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and I met to discuss the new devolution deal for the West Midlands. I successfully pressed for the devolution deal to hand more power to the Mayor in key areas like regeneration, transport and housing before it was announced in the Budget. I am a huge fan of the devolution deal, as it takes important regeneration and transport decisions away from Whitehall and into the hands of those locally elected here in the West Midlands.
I am so thankful we have the devolution deal following the disappointment of losing out on the Levelling Up Fund money. Andy and I are both on the same page when it comes to the need for this regeneration and the work now starts to look closely at the specifications needed to drive it forward.
So, Andy and I sat down to look at the business case for investment in housing and transport that is needed in these areas. There is no time to waste, and we will be working together to finalise these plans in the coming months.
Another important component is the Stourbridge Dasher rail extension that would reinstate passenger services on the four-mile freight-only branch line between Stourbridge Junction and Round Oak, Brierley Hill. Such a link would connect Stourbridge to the wider West Midlands by rail and it would be a huge boost to our area. We also discussed Brierley Hill and the Metro expansion.
Together, Andy and I are getting on with delivering tangible projects that will change the lives of local people for the better in the months and years ahead.
You can read more on the devolution deal and the funding plans here, and read the Express and Star's coverage here.
