Bilston in the West Midlands has entered the delivery phase of a 10-year, £20 million investment programme funded through the UK Government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns. The endowment-style fund is intended to provide around £2 million a year across a 10‑year period (2024–2034) to support town-centre regeneration, focusing on safety, high‑street vitality and heritage.
The project follows an intensive community consultation that engaged more than 1,000 local people on priorities for the town. According to Invest Wolverhampton and the town’s planning materials, the Town Board’s priorities include reducing anti-social behaviour and boosting footfall on the High Street.
Local organisations, including the Bilston Business Improvement District (BID), are working with the Bilston Town Board to develop and deliver the plan. The Town Board — with the City of Wolverhampton Council acting as the accountable body — will decide which projects to fund. Decisions will be made locally but operate under the light-touch assurance arrangements set out by the department responsible for neighbourhood funding.
The programme will build on other recent investment in Bilston, including a multi‑million‑pound redevelopment of the outdoor market that formed part of earlier levelling‑up and town funding. Officials say the first major delivery phase of the decade‑long investment is due to begin in February 2026.
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