Your Borough, Your Home is the local magazine with important information for Dudley Borough residents.

"As you will no doubt have read, these are extremely challenging times for all local authorities, and Dudley is no exception.

"The council has already put a range of measures in place, including spending controls - including a recruitment freeze, but there will continue to be difficult decisions to make to set a sustainable budget and protect essential services.

"The council has always had low council tax, amongst the lowest bills in the country, but that has only added to the financial situation we find ourselves in. Increasing council tax is the right thing to do if we want to continue providing vital services for people.

"There’s more detail about our budget on page 8. One of the measures we are proposing is to introduce a £36 a year charge for garden waste collections from April. This will be an opt-in service, which will run all year round.

"In this edition we celebrate and say a big thank you to all the volunteers who help keep our borough green. From the litter pickers in our Litter Busters movement to friends groups and the Park Active volunteers, you are all amazing and we greatly appreciate everything you do.

"We’ve also an update on our draft Dudley Local Plan on page 8, which sets out our commitment to use brownfield land to meet our housing and employment needs. Finally on page 20, there’s information on our living well feeling safe service, which provides advice and practical support to thousands of borough residents to help them live independently.

"Please take a look to find out more and do contact the service if you need help."

Cllr Patrick Harley
Leader of Dudley Council

To view the magazine click here.