Business leaders vow to do more to raise Dudley’s economic profile

BUSINESS leaders in the Black Country are mounting a fresh initiative to try and raise the economic profile of Dudley.

Vicki Wilkes, president of the Dudley Chamber of Commerce and managing director of Phoenix Calibration & Services, said everyone in the borough – especially the business community – needed to do more to raise the area’s profile.

Its economic profile has been decimated during the past 40 years as the town became a synonym for industrial decay.

As its traditional metalbashers died out and its retail heart was ripped away with the opening of the nearby Merry Hill Shopping Centre, so the town was plunged into a steep decline.

However, just recently with plans approved for a new supermarket development and a regeneration of the zoo, so optimism has begun to creep back into the hearts and minds of locals.

Ms Wilkes said the emphasis needed to be on wealth generation and as such there would be a fresh focus on improving the area’s overseas trade provision.

“We need to do more for business in Dudley,” she said. “At present less than 10% of the total value of Black Country exports that come through the Black Country Chamber are from Dudley businesses.

“We need to work more closely with Dudley Council and develop projects that improve business effectiveness and performance. Often the support businesses require to grow is inaccessible so we need to find ways of bringing it into where the businesses are actually located.”

Martin Dudley, chair of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Skills Policy Group and managing director of Thomas Dudley Ltd, said: “Businesses in Dudley will need to work more closely with schools in order to fulfil changes in legislation with regards to work experience. The Black Country Chamber needs to champion career planning in schools.”

Tony Seaton, member of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Policy Competitiveness Group and Associate Director at Blue Sky, added: “Dudley businesses need to find their way through the maze of financial products and services.

“The Black Country Chamber of Commerce will help them understand the various opportunities and their implications. We will be running our own event in the near future to address misperceptions and concerns. The Black Country Chamber remains impartial and is committed to improving the advice to businesses.”

Matt Ward, chair of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Visitor Economy Policy Group and General Manager of Copthorne Hotel Merry Hill, said the Black Country was clearly differentiated from any other offer across the UK and Dudley needed to provide the leadership required to get more people to visit its attractions, attend events and develop the night time economy.

The policy group will be hosting events and talking to business leaders in an effort to help drive up the visitor economy in the Black Country.