The 2024 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on Thursday 2 May 2024 to elect all 72 seats to Dudley Council, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day.
Prior to the election the council had been under Conservative majority control since the 2021 election.
The Conservatives lost control of the council, with no party having an overall majority and Labour and the Conservatives ending up with the same number of seats. After a week of negotiations between the Conservative and Labour groups, it was announced that the existing Conservative leader, Patrick Harley, would remain leader of the council (and therefore appoint the council's cabinet) while Labour would be in charge of the majority of the council's scrutiny committee chairmanships and the mayoralty.
Background
History The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Dudley was a district of the West Midlands metropolitan county. The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan county councils, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The West Midlands Combined Authority was created in 2016 and began electing the mayor of the West Midlands from 2017, which was given strategic powers covering a region coterminous with the West Midlands metropolitan county.
Dudley Council has variously been under Labour control, Conservative control and no overall control since it was established. The Conservatives controlled the council from the 2004 election until Labour gained control in the 2012 election. Labour lost overall control in the 2016 election but continued to lead the council until 2017, when the Conservatives led the council, still without a majority. In the 2021 elections, the Conservatives gained a majority on the council, which they have held since.
In the most recent council election in 2023, the Conservatives won 44 of the 72 seats, one less than prior to the election, while Labour won 27 seats, increasing their membership on the council by 1.
Two by-elections and three defections between the 2023 and 2024 elections changed the council's composition ahead of this election; see 2023 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council election for details.
Electoral process The council usually elects members in thirds every year except the 4th in a four-year cycle. However, due to a boundary review of the wards by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, all 72 seats to Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council were up for election in 2024.
Previous council composition
After 2023 election Before 2024 election After 2024 election Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats 44 41 34 27 26 34 1 4 1 0 1 3
The changes underlying the "Before 2024 election" column are detailed on the 2023 election article.
Ward results
An asterisk indicates an incumbent councillor. (Does not apply to Damian Corfield who was an incumbent but became councillor for a different ward in the election)
Amblecote
Belle Vale
Brierley Hill and Wordsley South
Brockmoor and Pensnett
Castle and Priory
Coseley
Cradley North and Wollescote
Gornal
Halesowen North
Halesowen South
Hayley Green and Cradley South
Kingswinford North and Wall Heath
Kingswinford South
Lye and Stourbridge North
Netherton and Holly Hall
Norton
Pedmore and Stourbridge East
Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood
Sedgley
St James's
St Thomas's
Upper Gornal and Woodsetton
Wollaston and Stourbridge Town
Wordsley North
Changes 2024–2026 26 September 2024: Andrew Tromans (Labour) left the party to sit as an independent, citing bullying and a loss of hope in the party's direction. 7 February 2025: Steve Edwards (Labour) was suspended from the party. 1 March 2025: Andrew Tromans (Independent) joined the Liberal Democrats. 18 March 2025: Pete Lowe (Labour, Lye and Stourbridge North), leader of the Dudley Labour group, resigned his leadership role and his party membership, citing the national party's welfare policy under Keir Starmer; he continued to sit as an independent. 20 March 2025: Councillors Peter Drake (Coseley), Karl Denning (Castle and Priory) and Matthew Cook (Brierley Hill and Wordsley South) resigned from the Labour Party in the wake of Lowe's departure, also citing the party's welfare policy, and continued to sit as independents. Luke Hamblett and Karen Westwood (Brockmoor and Pensnett) left the party in the same wave of departures. 23 April 2025: Luke Hamblett (Independent) joined the Liberal Democrats. 15 May 2025: Stuart Turner (Labour) left the party to sit as an independent. 30 May 2025: The Black Country Party was formed; Matt Cook, Karl Denning, Peter Drake, Steve Edwards, Pete Lowe and Karen Westwood, all then sitting as independents, joined the new party. 23 June 2025: Shaun Keasey (Independent, Sedgley) joined Reform UK. 11 November 2025: James Clinton and Jason Thorne (both Conservative) joined Reform UK. 25 February 2026: Cat Eccles (Labour, Wollaston and Stourbridge Town) resigned as a councillor; her seat remained vacant until the 2026 election.
By-elections
Brockmoor and Pensnett
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Judy Foster, deputy leader of the Dudley Labour group, who had represented the ward for 20 years and cited safety concerns.
References