BACK in the eighties my first job was working in McDonalds in Dudley High Street - now sadly closed. My brother had a Saturday job in the old British Home Stores in the Marketplace which has also gone. And I think anyone who grew up or lived in Dudley up until the seventies and eighties will share my sadness at our town centre's decline.

We all know what caused the problem. The recessions in the eighties hit the area's traditional industries hard and the town centre's economy bore the brunt. Then came the growth of out-of-town shopping. More and more people owned cars and they wanted to shop in different ways. Places which lacked or lost car parking found it harder and harder to compete.

I think we need to exploit our heritage as one of the ways we will drive regeneration and bring economic activity, visitors and trade back to the town.

I'm convinced it can be one of the foundations on which investment and prosperity is brought back to Dudley.

Look at what's happened in Ludlow. They've built a thriving economy on the back of a castle which is nowhere near as good as ours and a few restaurants. People are prepared to go there despite how difficult it is to get there.

I drove over there the other Sunday and I couldn't believe how long it took - even though it's only 35 miles or so.

We've got a million people in the Black Country, more people in work in the area and many earning more than ever before.

Another million live within a short drive in Brum and another two million live within a drive hour or so away.

I want to see the Castle become a venue for concerts and plays all through the summer. The success of Catherine Jenkins shows the potential, so why can't we have major concerts every weekend and an annual season of Shakespeare and other plays? Imagine the impact on the town centre economy if we had thousands of people visiting the town every weekend, wanting to spend money in pubs, restaurants and hotels.

It would also encourage people to open smaller specialist shops that visitors want and expect.

That is why we should all get behind Councillor Shaukat Ali and his campaign against the council's crazy decision to close the tourist information centre.

Second, the retail economy is still predicted to grow over the next few years and we need to keep badgering the council to get on with the plans to create more and better retail space in the town.

We already secured investment for some of these such as the area around Cavendish House and the finance needed to clear the site and develop it. We have also got extra money from the RDA to regenerate the area along Priory Street and Wolverhampton Street, including the Crown and the old wine bar.

The council needs to show the people of the town again how its Masterplan is more than just a brochure and really will drive forward the town's regeneration. We need clear timescales for each sector of the development and urgent progress to show how Dudley's prosperity will increase.

The Masterplan envisages 1,000 new homes, 2,000 new residents and 3,000 new jobs in Dudley. Plans for the town centre include redeveloping Castle Hill, completing the Castlegate site with the new Innovation Centre and developing nine other major sites around the town.

Council bosses reckon their plans will create 200,000 sq ft of new retail space, new car parking and 3,000 new jobs - all in the town centre.

And the Council's Chief Executive has also promised me that Dudley town centre will remain the Borough's civic centre. I think that's crucial because we need all those council officers shopping and spending money in the town centre.

Turning things round will not be easy, but if we can get the council, the Regional Development Agency and other organisations working together to make this their top priority then I think we can make the next twenty years brighter for Dudley town centre than the last.