Reform leaders in Walsall will be publicly questioned on a variety of local issues at the upcoming full council meeting scheduled for Monday, September 28. The meeting will bring together all 60 councillors to discuss key topics including bus services, the Leather Museum, Reedswood School, and other community concerns.
Nine questions have been submitted by four councillors, alongside three questions from members of the public. Additionally, three notices of motion are set to be debated, covering veterans’ affairs, rewilding policies, and community protection measures.
Councillor Christine Edwards, representing Aldridge North and Walsall Wood, has raised concerns about excessive litter near the KFC on Lichfield Road. She inquires whether the council has engaged with the restaurant regarding this issue and calls for the installation of additional litter bins to tackle the problem.
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The Conservative group leader, Councillor Adrian Andrew, has submitted four questions. One regards the recent decision by the West Midlands Combined Authority to acquire National Express West Midlands, bringing public bus services under local control. Councillor Andrew seeks to understand what steps the council has taken to assess the financial implications of this move for Walsall taxpayers.
He also questions the level of public engagement conducted concerning the latest consultation on the Walsall Borough Local Plan, which will guide housing and employment development for the next two decades. Further inquiries include an update on the Community Diagnostics Centre in Walsall and an assessment of the economic impact of the Labour party’s proposed tourist tax on the borough.
Councillor Khizar Hussain, representing Pleck ward, asks when the one-stop-shop at the Civic Centre will reopen. He also challenges council leader Councillor Elaine Williams to guarantee that the council will not sign a 125-year lease of 13.7 acres of woodland at Reedswood Park, a site earmarked by the Department for Education for the new £50 million Windsor Apollo Academy. The council recently refused planning permission for this development. Councillor Hussain urges that the Reform-led council commit to never leasing this open space for school or other development purposes.
On the same subject, Councillor Aftab Nawaz, leader of the Walsall Community Independents group, questions why the council leader and half of the cabinet withdrew from the chamber during a Notice of Motion debate at the July meeting. The motion concerned Reform’s election pledge opposing the £50 million school development at Reedswood Park. Their withdrawal was on the advice of the council’s monitoring officer to maintain impartiality while a live planning application was pending.
Councillor Nawaz also probes the operations of the Darlaston regeneration board, responsible for administering a £20 million government grant aimed at regenerating the town. Prior to the last local elections, Reform criticised the board as undemocratic and non-transparent, promising to review its composition and establish democratic elections for board members. Councillor Nawaz pointed out that all six Reform councillors in Darlaston were elected on this commitment and called for the replacement of the current ‘handpicked’ board to empower the residents of Darlaston in decision-making.
Among questions from the public, former councillor Pete Smith has asked about the council’s policy on shop displays following concerns that business owners are causing clutter in pedestrianised areas of Walsall town centre. Linda Boys, a leading campaigner in efforts to save the Leather Museum, inquires how protections for the museum in the current Local Plan will be maintained in the new plan. Nick Dodds has asked what initiatives the council has implemented to improve opportunities for residents to meet councillors and officers in person.
The Conservative group has tabled two notices of motion, while independent members have submitted one. Three former Reform councillors-Daniel Rollinson, Bella Simon, and Robin Perry-have called for the borough’s rewilding policies to be scrapped. Conservative councillors Andrew, Martin, Wilson, Babb, Dhesy, and Parkes have proposed making Armed Forces Day an annual fixture in the council’s civic calendar. Councillors Wilson, Andrew, Murray, and Parkes have requested the council investigate an out-of-hours Community Protection Service to address anti-social behaviour, unauthorised events, and environmental issues.
The public council meeting will begin at 6pm on Monday, September 28, at Walsall Council House.