Council recommending that the town should be administered by the then-Wolverhampton County Borough. The Report and Proposals for the West Midlands Special Review Area clearly states that this was not carried out against the principals of the review solely in order to make that authority area smaller. However, a percentage, mainly Portobello, came under the jurisdiction of Wolverhampton County Borough, and is now part of the City of Wolverhampton Council.

By the late 1970s, the local industry was in decline, and by the year 2000 most