I RECENTLY read an article in a community magazine called Council Watch.

It intrigued me, and on reading the article ‘What about Stourbridge’, I was in full agreement with the statements made. I also believe many residents and voters would also agree.

Councillor Les Jones, the new council leader has his ward in Pedmore and Stourbridge East but his first pledge of action as head of the council was to Dudley Town.

Now in the past, many councillors who resided in Stourbridge’s better off areas seemed to be part of a trend in forgetting their own wards God knows Stourbridge has been messed about and neglected like so many other Black Country towns in favour of Dudley Town getting the lion’s share when it comes to regeneration money for projects, be they bringing trade into town or saving our heritage or tourism.

Now Dudley Town has the monopoly on tourist attractions whilst the rest of the borough has suffered from neglect in funding to save many of our historic heritage and possible tourist attractions.

Many of the councillors in charge of the purse strings for regeneration have neglected Stourbridge’s vast historic background and sites and thanks to them, we have lost so much.

If they love Dudley Town so much and support it above their own wards, why don’t they take up residence in Dudley Town and then maybe we can get councillors born and bred in Stourbridge who will represent their wards with passion, not the neglect that we have seen and felt over the years.

Instead of making decisions that change our towns without consulting the people of those areas, give us the right as a true democratic society by allowing us to decide what we do or don’t want and give the people all the facts first with a longer time to debate openly how we want our towns to evolve.

I feel Stourbridge has been raped and pillaged of so many of its treasures that were left to us by more honest and philanthropic people who wanted only the best for the town and its people.

They must be turning in their graves to see how Dudley Council has successfully decimated their legacies.

Just to name a few, here is a list of wrongdoings to our historic market town of Stourbridge: Corbett Hospital and grounds; The Old Market hall; The Foster and Rastrick Foundry; King Edward VI air raid shelter/North Worcestershire Breweries circa 1830; AD Hayes formally the Old Tannery circa 17th century and Stourbridge Art College 1849-2011.

Several of these properties had preservation orders on them but they were still demolished for profit, not kept for the vast heritage of Stourbridge and for its people.

There are many more buildings of character and heritage that have also been demolished over the years.

All of this is a disgrace to the true representation of Stourbridge, its people’s welfare and growth as a historic market town.

Councillors be ashamed, be very ashamed.

Chris Armfield Stourbridge