Dudley Council is reconsidering its decision on the mayor’s limo after complaints arose, sparking a debate about the mayor’s role and budget cuts.
He figured the mayor could just drive themselves around without needing a staff member. But then, some folks from the Past Mayor’s Group raised concerns. They felt this change would make the mayor’s role seem less important.
After some back and forth, the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee decided to put the plan on hold. But the future of the mayor’s role is still up in the air. They talked about it again on January 20 while going over the draft budget for 2025/26.
Cllr Shaun Keasey, the committee chair, wanted to make sure nothing was changing after their last meeting. Dudley’s deputy leader, Cllr Paul Bradley, assured him that “nothing has changed” for now. But he hinted that they might revisit it later.
The interim chief executive, Balvinder Heran, mentioned they’d review the services and come back with recommendations. He expects that to happen around summer. So, it looks like this issue isn’t going away just yet!
