Council set to agree new Westside funding plan

City of Wolverhampton Council is set to agree a revised funding strategy with development partner Urban&Civic to ensure the city’s ambitious Westside leisure scheme is delivered.

The council entered into an agreement with Urban&Civic in April 2017 – but due to challenging national market conditions the scheme has been delayed.

The council and Urban&Civic have been in discussions to agree this new, viable approach to kick-start Westside, which instead of being funded by Urban&Civic will see it backed by an institutional investor, such as a pension fund. Under the new arrangements part of the responsibility to fully occupy the scheme will sit with the council, giving it the opportunity to generate rental income from the £50 million scheme. Read more...

Sell-out crowds attend city Literature Festival

Thousands of people flocked to the third Wolverhampton Literature Festival earlier this month.

More than 100 events offered a vast scope of literary-related workshops, readings, presentations and performances, with the majority happening from Friday to Sunday, at venues across the City of Wolverhampton.

Central Library saw a sell-out crowd for the Agatha Christie Exhibition launch talk and welcomed million-selling novelist Miranda Dickinson and Birmingham Poet Laureate Roy McFarlane, who co-hosted an event with Somerset Maughan Award-winner Liz Berry.

Politicos Ann Widdecombe and Alan Johnson were at Wolverhampton Art Gallery sharing career highlights and their thoughts. Read more...

February 15 |  Issue 92

Steel framework for city's new railway station starting to take shape 

The steel framework of the city’s new railway station is beginning to take shape as contractors, Galliford Try, progress works.

It is the next stage in delivering a £150 million transport hub to provide an attractive commercial gateway to those entering the city by national rail, bus or tram.

As there will be no changes to the platform areas as part of the scheme, this has allowed it to be cleverly designed in two phases to ensure train services from City of Wolverhampton continue to operate as normal throughout.

View a gallery of the latest images from the railway station development, here...

University and WMCA Black Country launch of Inclusive Leaders' Pledge

The University of Wolverhampton and The West Midlands Combined Authority are inviting you to the Black Country launch of the Inclusive Leaders' Pledge on Wednesday, February 27, from 8am to 10am, at Chancellor’s Hall, City Campus.
 
The Inclusive Leaders' Pledge is the result of a hard-hitting report – Leaders Like You – published last summer by the independent West Midlands Leadership Commission, which focused on the current and future leadership opportunities of black and ethnic minority communities, women, the LGBT community, disabled people and lower social economic groups such as white, working class males.
 
The Commission warned that the lack of diversity at leadership level risked damaging the region's economy and wider society and called on leaders to ensure diversity in their workplaces, identify, mentor and coach talent to produce future leaders. Read more...