A DECISION to drop plans for a temporary travellers site in Coseley is set to see sparks fly when councillors meet to ratify the decision next week.

Members of the cabinet are being recommended to abandon the scheme on Budden Road in favour of a permanent location.

But the decision has already drawn a storm of criticism from opposition councillors who say they will reverse the plan if they win control of the authority at May’s local elections.

Conservatives are now expected to attack the decision when it comes to the cabinet for formal approval on Monday.

Under Tory control, the council approved plans for the 40 space site on disused council-owned land – despite a campaign by local residents opposed to the  scheme.

But when Labour won power in September they ordered an immediate review which has led to the scheme being scrapped.

Announcing the decision, Cllr Qadar Zada, leader of the council, said:  “The proposals for Budden Road created a large amount of anger in the community around it.

“We are committed to finding a site where that does not happen, and we have asked officers to look for smaller sites which would not have been considered first time around.

“But that will only be part of the solution to the problem. Residents living near parks and open spaces which have been taken over by travellers have told us they want to see them secured to stop them getting on in the first place.

“We told them we would listen and we have put our money where our mouth is, and we will now be exploring the best way to do that.”

Cllr Patrick Harley, leader of the Conservative group, said the original plan had been widely consulted and  passed.

“We will definitely be opposing what Labour are proposing.

“We believe that they are doing this because they don’t have a working majority in the council chamber so therefore need the three Coseley councillors to prop them up.

“We think that is acting in the interests of the Labour Party but not in the interests of the wider Dudley borough residents.”