Borough of Dudley
Geography
Status:	Metropolitan borough
Region:	West Midlands
Ceremonial County:	West Midlands
Area: - Total	Ranked 247th 97.96 km²
Admin. HQ:	Dudley
ONS code:	00CR
Demographics
Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density	Ranked 15th 304,830 3,112 / km²
Ethnicity:	93.7% White 4.0% South Asian
Politics
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council http://www.dudley.gov.uk/
Leadership:	Leader and Cabinet
Executive:	Conservative
MPs:	Ross Cranston, Ian Pearson, Sylvia Heal, Debra Shipley

The Metropolitan borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley (where the council has its headquarters), Stourbridge, Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley.

A part of the West Midlands metropolitan county since 1974, the area was traditionally part of the historic counties of Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

The town of Dudley was originally a county borough in an island of Worcestershire surrounded by the county of Staffordshire, and the council areas of Sedgley, Rowley Regis, Brierley Hill and Tipton. But in 1966 the borough was expanded to include Sedgley, Brierley Hill and most of Coseley, and was transferred to the county of Staffordshire as all the other councils were in that county.

The present borough was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of the former county borough of Dudley, along with the boroughs of Halesowen and Stourbridge.

The council has 72 councillors, representing 24 wards.

Localities

Localities within the borough include:

• Amblecote
• Brierley Hill, Bromley , Buckpool
• Coseley, Cradley
• Dudley
• Gornalwood
• Halesowen, Hawbush, Hurst Green , Hurst Hill
• Kingswinford
• Lye
• Merry Hill
• Netherton
• Old Swinford
• Quarry Bank
• Sedgley, Stourbridge
• The Straits
• Wall Heath , Withymoor , Wollaston, Wollescote , Wordsley , Wren’s Nest