Walsall Council is continuing its commitment to supporting families access essentials through the cost of living crisis with the launch of two new community shops in the first week of August. Official launch of Lucy’s Pantry community shop in The Saddlers Shopping Centre Lucy’s Pantry officially opened the doors to its new, expanded premises at Saddlers Shopping Centre on Tuesday 5 August, offering a dignified, low-cost food shopping experience to residents across the borough. This will be followed two days later by the opening of the Love Blakenall Community Hub at Blakenall Village Centre on Thursday 7 August. “ We’re…

The construction of Walsall’s new £32 million Household Waste Recycling Centre and Waste Transfer Station is now complete. The site, situated on Middlemore Lane, Aldridge, will provide easy-to-use facilities helping residents to recycle a wider range of items. This will enable the delivery of a new waste strategy, to be launched this year, which will emphasise a shift towards a circular economy, where materials are reused and recycled. The facilities will play a crucial role in meeting local and national waste management objectives by reducing landfill waste and increasing recycling rates. “ This project is a huge development for Walsall.…

The City of Wolverhampton Council has launched a new survey inviting parent carers, young people, and professionals to share their views on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services in the city. Feedback will play a vital role in evaluating the effectiveness of current services and support, understanding how well the Wolverhampton SEND Local Area Partnership is meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, and their families, and shaping future improvement plans to make services more inclusive, responsive, and impactful. The survey is structured around the 13 key areas of the national SEND and Inclusion Inspection Framework,…

Nearly every business has to go to the bank for funding assistance at some point, so I thought it would be helpful to outline some of the key ways to help yourself in getting the bank manager to say “yes”. Banks are the major source of finance for small business in the UK. When applying for finance from your bank it helps if you follow procedures. Firstly, always have a business plan. The main areas to be covered in a business plan are the management team background with details of qualifications and experience, the type of business and previous trading…

Leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Mike Bird, presented his report at a meeting of full council last night (Wednesday 30 July), highlighting the impressive plans to transform Walsall Town Centre. CGI of walsall saddlers centre The Town Centre Connected Gateway project is already underway, with the downstairs area of the Saddlers Centre set to complete construction in Autumn this year. Major works to transform the town centre by creating a clearer link between the town’s rail and bus stations and improve the surrounding area to make the town centre more appealing will then commence in early 2026, with contractor Kier…

You would need to do a self-inventory – As we all have our own ideas on what business we have in mind you’d need to be careful not to rush into it. You have to think about whether this business is for you? As starting up a business will take time and money. You’ll need to know how to cope with stress and you will need to be patient. • You need to plan – Writing down notes and knowing what sort of business you would like to open is a start, you have to be passionate about it. •…

A city landlord who threatened to unlawfully evict a tenant with a young family has given an undertaking to the courts to stop business activities for 3 years following investigations by City of Wolverhampton Council. In the first case of its kind in the city, Aunberin Kawal Saddique, sole trader and director of Emerald Lettings and Developments Limited, gave an undertaking to the courts to cease engaging in the letting and rental management services of private residential properties until 17 July, 2028. The undertaking means that Saddique, who manages 36 properties across the city, has agreed to not let housing…

If you eventually decide to sell the organisation that you have nurtured, parting ways with it and moving on to a new project can be even more difficult, for a number of reasons. To effectively manage this process, you not only need to understand how to sell a business, but also why you might want to take this step and what obstacles lie in your way. From the first discussion to the final negotiations, here Business Trade Centre look’s at what to expect. Why sell up? There are two main categories to consider when thinking about why you might sell…

Getting too deep in debt before you are even out of your twenties is a very bad. Learning how to plan for your future right now by understanding how not to get too deeply in debt is your key to a much more successful financial future. Understanding how severely debt can damage your adult life is very important because it is real, it is something that can happen when you least expect it, there is no doubt about that. Those credit card payments that are draining you each and every month are going to be the death of you. Not…

Birmingham City Council tenants are enjoying discounts at over 100 national retailers, thanks to a new money-saving app called Housing Perks. Earlier in the year, the council conducted a trial partnership with Housing Perks. This app provides tenants with exclusive offers and discounts at retailers such as Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons, and Argos. During the trial around 5,000 tenants downloaded the app, which generated savings for these households of £17,722. The trial has been a success, and the council is looking to continue with Housing Perks while implementing a new feature where tenants are able to put their savings towards rent…