Sandwell Council has awarded Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust the Freedom of the Borough. The award was made during an event on Wednesday 11 December as part of Sandwell’s 50th anniversary celebrations. This prestigious honour is a recognition of the extraordinary commitment, dedication and resilience shown by all those who work within the NHS, from doctors and nurses to support staff, paramedics and volunteers. Over the years, the NHS has not only been the backbone of our healthcare system but also a beacon of compassion, selflessness and unwavering service to the people of this country. The Mayor of Sandwell, Councillor…

The council has sold two plots of the Perry Barr Residential Scheme to Legal & General Affordable Homes, bringing forward 487 homes as affordable housing, offering a mix of rent and Shared Ownership. Another developed plot is being retained by Birmingham City Council for council housing, further elevating the total number of affordable homes delivered in phase one of the Perry Barr Residential Scheme to 700. The sale ensures that 100% of the homes on the three plots are affordable homes, which more than doubles the affordable housing target of 312 set out in the planning application for the entire…

Around 22,000 Sandwell children eligible for free school meals will receive £60 of food vouchers to help families cope with the cost of Christmas. The vouchers are the equivalent of four vouchers to cover the October half-term, Christmas and February half-term holidays in one voucher. Eligible families will receive £60 per child for parents and carers to spend at their local supermarket. Vouchers will be issued by schools in the run-up to the Christmas holidays, starting this week. Find out more about free school meals and eligibility. The vouchers are being funded by Sandwell’s Household Support Fund (HSF) programme.…

Ofsted referred to it as an ‘extraordinary place’ and parents described it as ‘transformational’. Just two weeks after the inspection in October, the school also received the Inclusion Quality Mark and was recognised as being a Centre of Excellence for Inclusion! This is in addition to the Carnegie Mental Health Gold Award it received last year. Executive Head Teacher, Kate Hazelwood, said: “I am incredibly proud that the hard work and tireless commitment of the whole Albright Team has been recognised. It is a privilege to lead such a unique and special school.” Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and…

Sandwell Council has launched its five-year Better Research for Better Health programme, bringing in £5 million funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research. This programme will improve how we do research, how we use it to make decisions and how we communicate findings to others. This will help to ensure that local services meet the needs of residents, give good value for money, and support the council’s goals. It is one of 30 Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs) in the UK. It is a partnership between Sandwell Council, the University of Birmingham and the voluntary sector, represented…

PM2.5-related exposure. Larissa Lockwood, Director of Clean Air at Global Action Plan said: “Lighting fires in our homes is now the largest source of toxic fine particle air pollution in the UK, presenting a range of serious health risks including heart and lung disease, diabetes, and dementia. “Despite growing evidence of the UK’s burning problem – like this new research from the University of Birmingham – many people are still unaware that wood burning is harming our health and the planet. “While many work to communicate these harms through moments such as Clean Air Night, we need urgent action from…

The annual report of Wolverhampton’s Director of Public Health, John Denley, is now available – and, for the first time, is presented in an online, interactive format. The report, Our Children, Our Future, outlines the support which is being provided for the city’s children and young people, and how the city is working together to support the next generation to live healthier, happier lives. It includes audio from Health Champions at Bilston Primary School and Heath Park School, enabling the voice of the child to be heard on topics including infant feeding, healthy behaviours and physical activity. There are also…

Over 80 volunteers undertook a huge community clean up and the volunteers filled over 300 refuse sacks but also discovered discarded plastic, sofas and even a fridge freezer. Many volunteers had travelled from as far as London, Bristol and Plymouth. A huge thank you to the Dakok Support Group and their members who worked tirelessly throughout the morning, working in a positive and professional manner, and making a real difference to the local area and community. Many residents and dog walkers stopped to thank the group for all the hard work and efforts. The Dakok Support Group helps and assists…

Over 100 residents and school children attended two creative workshops to take part in an in-depth discussion to shape the new Eco-Park. While the principles for the space have been set out in the outline planning application and the initial design ideas have been developed from using feedback from previous consultation and analysis of the existing park, this was a further opportunity to listen to residents’ ideas to help shape the detail for the benefit of existing and new communities. Watch the highlights video from the community workshops Councillor Peter Hughes, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Infrastructure,…

Drone: The new tool in the council’s fight against fly tipping in the city. (LTR) Thomas Hawkins, section leader – fly tipping, Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services and Ian Crutchley, senior compliance officer A new drone will help City of Wolverhampton Council to keep fly tippers in its sights as the authority continues its fight against the crime. The ‘eye in the sky’ will allow officers to easily scan areas that have been victim to fly tipping and collect high quality footage to assist with prosecutions. It will also identify hot spots to target…