Live from my 8th annual jobs fair

There’s just over a month left until the government Kickstart scheme ends. It is a fantastic scheme that takes young people off benefits and puts them into quality jobs.

I’m really pleased to report that Dudley and the West Midlands currently have more job vacancies than before the pandemic.

We have some excellent special needs schools here in Dudley such as Pens Meadow - I was proud to open their post-16 building 4 years ago.

Spring is coming and things are slowly looking up. Over the past year we’ve spent millions on helping people, families and businesses get through the pandemic.

Our local schools are doing a fantastic job taking lessons online during this challenging time.

Dudley’s doctors and nurses and support staff are doing an incredible job in rolling out the vaccines locally. But they are still under a lot of pressure from Covid right now.

One positive to come out of the past few difficult months is that many people in the Black Country are taking the time to have a bit of a reset.

Brierley Hill has massive potential and work is underway to regenerate it and turn it into a successful and thriving area.