Health centre and library saved

The lease at the Ladies Walk Centre in Sedgley was due to expire in March 2026

A health centre and library are set to remain open after months of uncertainty about their future.

The lease for The Ladies Walk Centre in Sedgley, where the services are based, was due to expire in March 2026, but Dudley Council leader Patrick Harley said a long-term deal with the building's landlord Aviva had been secured.

He said the council had played "a very patient game" to get "the right deal for taxpayers".

Dudley MP Sonia Kumar, Labour, welcomed what she described as a "temporary deal" to keep services running amid negotiations. Harvey, Conservative, said it was not a "short-term reprieve", adding: "A new lease will be signed which will secure [the centre] for another generation."

He said: "NHS partners can take comfort that we are not going to turf them out any time soon. Hopefully they will have confidence to bring more health facilities to Sedgley.

"The library will remain in situ and the group director of housing and assets is very determined to bring a housing hub to that building because Sedgley does not have that council facility."

Reform UK councillor Shaun Keasey, one of the three ward councillors who campaigned to save the centre, praised both residents and officers "who, rightfully, threw their support behind efforts to secure the future of Ladies Walk".

Kumar said: "This is the result of perseverance, community pressure, and direct engagement with all parties. Sedgley has made it absolutely clear: this centre matters."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.