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The town was awarded £3.3 million through the Government's 'levelling-up' fund in 2021, and work on new paving, shopfronts, lighting and seating was due to have been completed last year. Councillor Simon Bennett, leader of the council's opposition Conservative group, called for an urgent update on the scheme, saying repeated delays were leading to growing frustration among residents and traders. But Councillor Chris Burden, cabinet member in charge of regeneration, said detailed plans had been agreed this week, and work would begin in the new year. Councillor Bennett said the funding, which had been secured through the Government's Towns Fund by former MP Jane Stevenson, was a major coup for the area. He said the scheme was due to have been carried out last year. But council documents showed that more than £1 million -almost a third of the budget - had been spent on design, consultancy and preparatory work before a shovel had been turned. "These targets have now slipped, and local businesses say they have seen little visible progress," he said. Tories also questioned the quality of information shared publicly. Concept sketches and early design visuals have been circulated online, but many local traders say these bear little resemblance to the real streetscape and have done little to reassure them that progress is being made. Plans for canopies over the town's market stalls had also been dropped, they said. Councillor Bennett called on the council to publish clear, factual updates instead of promotional materials, and to set out a realistic timetable including key milestones and protections for local traders during construction. He said the problems mirrored those which had led to delays in the regeneration of Bilston Market, culminating in the 'scaling back' of the scheme this month. “Wednesfield traders and residents have been waiting far too long for these long-promised improvements," he said. "Millions of pounds were allocated to transform the High Street by our former MP Jane Stevenson, yet the community has seen little more than designs and discussions. "We want the council to publish a full breakdown of spending so far, a firm and deliverable timetable for completion, and a clear assurance that local businesses will not be left to bear the consequences of delay." Councillor Burden , cabinet member for jobs, skills and city economy, said following the completion of investigatory works in September, the detailed design for the Wednesfield High Street improvement scheme was this week finalised. He said discussions were now underway with contractor Taylor Woodrow to agree a final delivery programme. "Through our regular meetings and communications with Wednesfield traders we have agreed with them not to disrupt the busy Christmas trading period and will start works in the new year on this important project," said Councillor Burden. He said in the meantime the council had developed a number of initiatives to support traders and drive shoppers into the high street. "This includes a £15,000 commitment towards events and activities, the introduction of pop-up markets for new traders, and an £8,000 commission to carry out a feasibility study for a Wednesfield Business Improvement District to help stimulate the local economy," he said. "We are also looking forward to supporting local businesses with the unveiling of a new sculpture on the Wood End Island next month." Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of the Labour-run authority, accused the Conservatives of playing politics with the council's ambitious regeneration plans. "They are talking our city down and misleading residents and traders," he said. "Councillor Bennett’s comments show he hasn't got a clue how proper regeneration works. “Development schemes like this cannot simply be drawn on the back of a fag packet. The sums assigned to pre-construction and post-construction works are not out of the ordinary and all costs are kept in check by the robust project governance the council has in place to ensure value for money." He said a breakdown of how the money would be spent was shared with the City Investment Board, made up of representatives from Labour and the Conservatives. “Capital building programmes can be complex and challenging and rarely go to plan, so timelines do vary and tweaks are necessary."
