A report outlining the key priorities for Public Health in 2025/26 will be presented at Walsall Council’s Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10 July 2025. Presented by Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Health and Wellbeing, the report highlights how Walsall Public Health is working with partners across sectors to improve health and wellbeing through better housing, employment, planning, green spaces and sustainability initiatives. The Public Health team delivers services that ensure every child has the best start in life and tackles the four biggest preventable causes of premature illness and death: tobacco, poor diet,…

Visiting housing tenants and asking them how they are has been the focus of an intensive week of activity by Birmingham City Council. Housing officers have visited around 2,000 council tenants in just one week to check in with people, to get to know them face-to-face and to ensure they are receiving the support they need. Officers visiting properties have been able to refer tenants for financial advice, identify potential savings on energy costs, determine if properties or gardens require any repair work, and identify tenants interested in being involved on local tenant boards. The visits are an opportunity for…

The Dacia Duster has been named ‘Best Small SUV’ in the 2025 Business Motoring Awards Duster was praised as “a thoroughly practical small SUV at a price that makes it highly affordable” Judged by a panel of industry experts, the Business Motoring Awards recognise vehicles that matter the most to SME operators Robust and adventurous Duster is available in four trim levels with three powertrains, plus a 4×4 option, with prices starting from £19,380 on-the-road Proving it’s just as good for business as it is for daily adventures, the Dacia Duster has been named the ‘Best Small SUV’ in the…

Children and young people across Wolverhampton can enjoy a summer packed full of fun, free activities with Yo! Active over the holidays. Yo! Active is delivered by WV Active and Wolves Foundation and offers a wide range of free activities all year round to children and young people aged up to 18, or 25 for care leavers or those with a disability. Young residents whose family pay Council Tax to the City of Wolverhampton Council can take their pick from over 40 hours of free physical activity sessions per week, including free swimming, gym and court hire, multi sport sessions,…

The timber framework for 24 new City of Wolverhampton Council homes for rent in Low Hill is beginning to emerge. The council’s housing development team is leading on the project, with Morro Partnerships appointed to construct the homes using sustainable building methods. It will deliver a mixture of detached and semi-detached houses, bungalows and a small number of flats, plus 52 parking spaces, on a cleared site at the rear of Old Fallings Crescent, previously occupied by the former Peach Tree adventure playground and disused garages. The homes have been designed by BM3 Architects, with the houses being…

A computer-generated image shows what the new council homes on the left could look like on the former Duke of York pub site at Heath Town A planning application has been approved for new council homes to be built on the site of a former pub as part of the ongoing transformation of the Heath Town estate. The proposals put forward by construction partner Keon Homes on behalf of City of Wolverhampton Council, include 32 one and two-bedroom apartments on vacant land where the Duke of York pub once stood. The development, facing Wednesfield Road, Tremont Street and Inkerman…

The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Counter Fraud Team has achieved savings of £2.9 million for the public purse through robust tenancy fraud investigations over the last year. Working in close collaboration with Wolverhampton Homes, investigators tackled a range of fraudulent activities, including the illegal subletting of council properties, false applications for social housing, fraudulent Right to Buy applications, tenants not residing at their registered addresses and unlawful succession claims to council tenancies. As a result, 30 council homes were recovered and re-let to families in genuine need, nine fraudulent housing applications were cancelled, five Right to Buy applications were stopped,…

Sandwell Council will continue supporting families of 46,000 children with vouchers during school holidays. The announcement comes as the council confirmed how it will spend just over £6million of Household Support Fund funding over the next financial year. The funding for April 2025 to March 2026 will be allocated as follows: £3million on providing vouchers for pupils who get benefits-related Free School Meals – worth £130 per child, per year. Find out more about Free School Meals, eligibility and holiday vouchers. £1.2million on helping council and private rented tenants with rent arrears and other housing costs. £300,000 on Local Welfare…

Simpson & Partners, the UK-based sustainable EV Charging company, is calling time on throwaway technology and encouraging consumers to question the longevity of their home electric car charger. With charging technology advancing as quickly as the electric cars themselves, Simpson & Partners estimates that over 100,000 chargers will end up in landfill by 2030 as they can’t be updated to keep pace with the latest tech. Mandy Simpson, co-founder of Simpson & Partners, said, ‘It’s time consumers knew the truth about charger lifespans – and some won’t last as long as the electric cars they charge. Building the electric vehicle…

Nearly a decade after its global debut, Nissan is launching the next generation of its unique e-POWER technology on the British-built Qashqai crossover. Comprehensively re-engineered for even better fuel efficiency, lower emissions and elevated refinement and set for production in Sunderland, New e-POWER will further smooth the transition from fuel towards zero emissions. First launched in the region four years ago, e-POWER was developed to deliver an electric-drive experience without the need to plug in – combining the smooth, effortless acceleration and refinement of an EV with the everyday convenience of traditional combustion power. The range and convenience of diesel,…