High Street Regeneration: Dudley
Monday, 2 November 2026
Contributions
Sonia Kumar (Dudley) (Lab)Labour
10. What steps she is taking to help regenerate Dudley high street.
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Angela Rayner)Labour
Alongside the Budget, we announced our new cross-Government high streets strategy to breathe new life into our town centres, backed by £210 million of new funding to reinvent our high streets with new shops, public services and community spaces. My hon. Friend is a tireless campaigner for her high streets and the traders in her constituency. I am pleased that she managed to secure £3 million for Dudley from our derelict buildings fund.
Dudley high street has enormous potential to thrive and prosper once again, yet years of inaction from the Conservative-led council has left too many empty shops and too many businesses struggling. Will my right hon. Friend outline what steps the Labour Government are taking to revitalise the area and reverse the trend of empty shops dominating our high street?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to talk about the years of Conservative failure, where we saw boarded-up shops, closed pubs and places feeling in decline. We are turning the page with a £125 million fund that will be invested to bring derelict buildings, like abandoned cinemas and shopping centres, back into use for the community. We are putting power back into the hands of local communities like Dudley, so that they can have a real say over what their high street looks like.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5429437.