CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer Philip Hammond was the latest big-name politician to stop off in the Black Country in a matter of days as campaign efforts ahead of the May local election stepped up a gear.

Mr Hammond called in at Westfield Sportscars in Kingswinford, which is using cutting edge technology to create revolutionary driverless vehicles, on Wednesday April 4 ahead of meeting Conservative Party members and activists in Sedgley.

Dudley News:

Dudley News:

His visit came just days after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stopped off in Wall Heath and Mr Hammond made no bones about the reason for his visit - to rally the troops ahead of the May 3 local election - and help Dudley's Conservative Party win overall control of the council which Tory councillors only seized from Labour last year, with the help of the borough's UKIP group.

Mr Hammond told the News: "People in Dudley will understand Conservative councils costs you less - you can see that across the country. People in Labour councils pay £100 a year council tax more than in Conservative areas

"Dudley has shown it is focussing on the things that matter - waste collections, free parking in town centres - and the possibility of making Conservative gains and putting the administration on a sound footing should be quite an exciting prospect - I hope people will turn out and vote."

But he said it had been particularly "interesting" to see the work going on at Westfield Sportscars and he added: "I'm always interested in seeing businesses operating at the cutting edge of technology."

Dudley News:

Dudley News:

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said he wanted to make sure the achievements of the region were being showcased at the highest level of government and added: "I was very keen to show the Chancellor what's being done in Dudley."

Dudley South MP Mike Wood said he was "really proud" to highlight the "exciting work" of Westfield Sportscars which is currently working on plans to provide autonomous vehicles for a new airport in Dubai and for a new eco-friendly island resort in South Korea - as well as trialling a new driverless road sweeper which Westfield chairman Frank Turner hopes can be piloted on the streets of the West Midlands in the not too distant future.

Dudley News:

He said it was a "great privilege" to have the Chancellor turn up to visit the Dudley Road family firm and he added: "The work we have done on autonomous vehicles has taken us to another dimension. The fact the Chancellor is prepared to come along and see it first hand is a great compliment."