Every year, Sandwell Council is legally required to set a balanced budget and the authority is now looking at the money available to spend next year.
A consultation is now open to give residents, businesses and voluntary organisations the chance to have their say on proposals and what their priorities are for 2026/27.
The survey gives people the chance to tell the council where they think the council should prioritise spending, where savings should be made and what could be done differently.
Sandwell Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources Councillor Paul Moore said: “It has been important to us to protect your services and to make sure that we look after residents’ money. We had to make some hard decisions last year on things like bin collections.
“This has enabled us to focus this year on things that will make our borough cleaner and safer.
“Our proposals will deliver some of the best roads in the country with our approach to removing potholes.
“We will tackle anti-social behaviour with more CCTV and enforcement. Residents will see even more investment in our parks and green spaces.
“Our capital programme will see investment in our town centres, more affordable housing and delivering on our masterplans to bring new life to our six towns.
“We also want to keep Council Tax as one of the lowest in the region. The decisions we make when setting our budget will show that we are a caring council that gets things done.”
Some of the major projects the council is proposing include:
Additional investment in roads, footpaths and road safety
The new Causeway Green Primary School
Regeneration of Sandwell’s town centres
Continuing to support households with the cost of living
Improvements to Forge Mill Farm Shop
Investment in allotments
A new cemetery for West Bromwich and improvements to other cemeteries and crematoriums
A new archive centre
Fitting out Blackheath Library
A new Wednesbury Health Centre in King Street
Investment in Lightwoods Park and a new Haden Hill Leisure Centre
Five new Playzones
Bromwich Hall Manor House Conservation Plan
A new ecopark in Brandhall.
Councillor Moore added: “When the consultation closes, we will consider the responses we receive and bring a further report back to the council’s Cabinet, before setting the council’s budget in early 2026.
“The budget will also take into account the Chancellor’s autumn statement in late November and the Local Government Finance Settlement later in the year.”