The city council is running a phase 3 consultation on the future of its three council-run care centres: Kenrick, Perry Tree and Ann Marie Howes. Perry Tree care centre This follows feedback from the previous two consultations and takes into account the government commitment to integrated health and social care and an analysis of the current and future demand for social care support in Birmingham. The revised proposed option would mean Birmingham City Council keeping the three care centres open, providing residential and respite care at Kenrick centre and integrated and intermediate care across Ann Marie Howes and Perry…

Students repurpose old materials to create a blooming gorgeous flowerbed For the second year running, Malvern Park in Solihull town centre has welcomed another stunning flowerbed designed by the talented students from Newlands Bishop Farm. This year’s theme – chosen by the council’s environmental contractor, Veolia – was re-use and upcycle. The team repurposed old materials, including tyres and a wheelbarrow, to creatively display plants to create striking focal points within the flowerbed. The display includes bee friendly plants as well as sensory aspects, creating a colourful vision for all park users to enjoy. The team has also sourced, grown…

Walsall residents are being encouraged to adopt healthier choices by cutting down or quitting alcohol as part of Alcohol Awareness Week (7–13 July). The Beacon – Change Grow Live, commissioned by Walsall Council’s Public Health team, is raising awareness of the health and social impacts of alcohol. The service, which provides specialist treatment for individuals experiencing alcohol and drug addiction, is offering guidance and support to anyone looking to take control of their alcohol consumption. Advice on safer drinking includes keeping within the recommended limit of 14 units per week, spreading drinking over three days or more and having several…

People are being encouraged to think about their drinking habits and the risks posed by alcohol during Alcohol Awareness Week, which gets underway today (Monday 7 July, 2025). The City of Wolverhampton Council and substance misuse service Recovery Near You will be highlighting the harms associated with alcohol and the treatment and recovery support which is available in the city. Representatives from Recovery Near You and SUIT, the Service User Improvement Team, will be available at locations throughout the week offering support, advice and, where appropriate, interventions. At some locations, a fibroscanner will also be available to identify the early…

Amrik Sangha, a Health Improvement Officer with the City of Wolverhampton Council, with one of the vape kits that are available to people who want to Swap to Stop smoking A new programme which has already helped well over 100 smokers in Wolverhampton to quit has been extended for another 12 months. Launched by the City of Wolverhampton Council last year, Swap to Stop provides free vaping kits and behavioural support to help people stop smoking. The service is delivered over a period of 12 weeks by trained members of staff who offer free vape starter kits alongside support…

Councillor Jacqui Coogan, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, joined Headteacher Lorraine Downey, Chair of governors Linda Guest and children and support staff to celebrate Green Park School’s Good Ofsted rating Staff and pupils are celebrating after Green Park School was judged to be Good by Ofsted, with inspectors describing it as an ‘ambitious and caring’ school. They visited Green Park at the end of April and, in their report published recently, found that staff have ‘high expectations and a deep understanding of all pupils’. The school, which supports learners aged three to 19 with complex physical…

Approximately 100 attendees gathered at Walsall Football Club on 26 June 2025 for the inaugural Neurodiversity and Wellbeing Conference, with the theme ‘Shifting the Narrative’. The event brought together professionals from various sectors such as public health, wider local authority teams, the NHS, education, housing, health and social care, the voluntary and community sector and DWP (Department for Work and Pensions). Individuals with lived experience also participated to advocate for inclusion and promote wellbeing in neurodiverse communities. Organised by Walsall Council’s Mental Wellbeing team in Public Health, the conference aimed to drive system-wide improvements and foster a more inclusive society.…

More than 7,500 potholes will be fixed this year in Wolverhampton as the council continues its commitment to improve the city’s roads. Resurfacing works are also taking place on some of the busiest roads to keep them in good condition for longer – which will mean fewer pothole repairs are needed in the future. By using data to identify where preventative work will have the biggest impact, the council has reduced the number of roads in need of urgent maintenance. The council is building on this with more improvements across the city, including resurfacing and surface dressing alongside timely pothole…

The City of Wolverhampton Council has condemned the actions of mindless vandals who caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage at two local schools during a violent rampage. Intruders caused major criminal damage when they broke into Green Park and Stowlawn Primary schools at around 8.30pm Thursday 3 July, 2025 before being disturbed by a caretaker and fleeing the scene. Damage at the schools included to external and internal doors, fire doors, toilets and interactive whiteboards that were smashed, while iPads and ICT equipment were destroyed, and fire extinguishers were discharged. A mobile swimming pool was also damaged and…

There is just a week to go before Wolverhampton’s new city centre Lockworks Cinema opens to the public. The newly refurbished four-screen venue, inside the historic Grade II-listed Chubb Building, will be showing its first films from Friday 11 July. Keep an eye on the Lockworks Cinema website to find out when the first tickets will go on sale. Experienced independent commercial operator, PDJ, has converted the 8,000sqft council-owned space from an out-dated two-screen venue to a state-of-the-art facility. They have recruited locally for the three permanent and 20 part-time jobs created. PDJ already run successful cinemas in Worthing (The…