By Mark Andrews

Copyright expressandstar

Henry Carver, president of Wolverhampton Business Forum, launched a blistering attack on Wolverhampton Council, saying ‘weak leadership’ and ‘poor decision making’ has left the city blighted by empty, decaying buildings.

Mr Carver, who spent £30,000 of his own money commissioning a team of experts to come up with a blueprint for the future of the city, says nothing has changed in the two years since the report was published.

He accused the council of favouring eye-catching schemes over ones that stood a chance of being completed, and choosing partners without the financial backing to complete their projects.

Mr Carver, who is managing director of Carvers Building Supplies, also said the city’s chances of rejuvenation were being held back by a ‘pedantic’ commitment to preserving historic buildings that were no longer viable.

However, Councillor Chris Burden, the council’s cabinet member responsible for regeneration, said Mr Carver was ‘ill-informed and accused him of ‘doom-and-gloom-mongering’.

Mr Carver said he feared the situation would get worse with the Marks & Spence and River Island buildings now lying empty, and the Lloyds Bank branch in Dudley Street soon to be vacated.

Writing exclusively for the Express & Star, Mr Carver said: “Due to poor investment choices, political short-termism, and a fixation on the past, Wolverhampton has missed numerous opportunities since the mid-1980s.

“The business community, which understands wealth creation and market realities, has too often been sidelined. This leadership vacuum has left Wolverhampton with derelict buildings at its heart, poorly maintained and economically useless”

He said repeated regeneration promises had failed to materialise, leaving a ‘hollow’ city centre with too few residents to support a thriving leisure economy.

“Wolverhampton’s track records of failed promises is long. The promised Westside development collapsed. Partnerships with developers like Placefirst have yielded more headlines than results.

Mr Carver caused controversy in October 2023 when he suggested it may be better to demolish the former Beatties department store building in Victoria Street. Two years on, he said there was no sign of any progress and called on the council to use compulsory purchase powers to take over both Beatties and the former Wolverhampton eye infirmary, also the subject of a much-delayed renovation scheme.

“On the ground, derelict buildings still dominate the city centre. Too often, Wolverhampton Council has partnered with developers who lacked the financial credibility or track record to deliver,” he said.

“Announcements are made with great fanfare, but projects stall or collapse when investors’ weaknesses are exposed. Proper due diligence — a basic responsibility of leadership — has been missing.

“The city needs partners with deep pockets, a proven record, and the ability to turn plans into reality,not those who bring empty promises.

Councillor Burden said he was disappointed that Mr Carver had not contacted the council, which could have updated him on some of his ‘ill-informed’ comments.

“Although I agree with some of Henry’s points about the challenges facing parts of our city centre. I fundamentally disagree with his conclusions, his negativity and the doom-and gloom mongering which fundamentally doesn’t help our city either.,” he said.

Councillor Burden said Mr Carver had ignored the ‘bigger picture’ of the past few years. He said Wolverhampton, like other cities across the country, was having to deal with the fall-out from the pandemic, global conflicts causing soaring prices, tariffs, changing consumer behaviour, and national retailers’ closure programmes.

” He seems to want to lay everything at the door of the council which is negative, while refusing to acknowledge what has, is, and will be delivered,” said Councillor Burden.

“While he is free to criticise, it is vital that this criticism is grounded in reality,understanding of the role and powers of the Council, and aware of the changes currently under way.“Despite the challenges facing us, I’m really optimistic about the future of our city centre and this council has led the way in making things happen.”

Councillor Burden said the council was overseeing the construction of thousands of new homes , with properties having already been sold on the new Canalside South development, while work would begin within months on the Smithgate scheme.

Henry Carver: Wolverhampton’s economic plight, leadership failures and missed opportunities

It has been two years since I, as Wolverhampton Business Forum’s president, commissioned a report into the future of the city centre. Since then, the council has delivered repeated announcements but little visible progress.

Now is the right moment to reflect on where meaningful progress has been made — and where civic leaders have fallen short in serving their city.

At the heart of the city’s regeneration challenge lies housing. A well-defined, executable housing strategy is more critical than ever, and it should be predominantly for Wolverhampton people and not for asylum overflow.

The record so far

Since 2023, the council has staged two annual ‘launches’ of city centre regeneration plans — slickly presented, well-attended, and filled with promises.

The most recent major announcement, the Smithgate regeneration scheme, holds potential: up to 1,000 new homes, public spaces, and commercial areas.