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…

Approximately 4,500 people gathered at Walsall Arboretum on Saturday 5 July for the Bostin’ Black Country Bash, an all-day festival celebrating the rich cultural and geological heritage of the Black Country with live music, family entertainment, and local pride on full display. The free event marked the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Global Geoparks network, with the Black Country proudly recognised as one of its prestigious members. The designation reflects the region’s international significance in shaping the Industrial Revolution and its ongoing global legacy. Other Geoparks globally include the North Pennines, Ore of the Alps in Austria, the Azores and…

Foster parents and social workers came together at Wolverhampton Science Park for the annual Fostering for Wolverhampton Wellbeing Conference – an event dedicated to supporting those who look after the city’s children and young people in care. This year’s conference focused on wellbeing, recognising the emotional and physical demands of fostering and the importance of supporting foster parents so they can continue to provide safe, stable, and loving homes. The event featured a range of sessions designed to offer practical tools, emotional support, and shared experiences. Highlights included a powerful talk on menopause and its impact on family life, including…

Sandwell Council continues to lead the way in maintaining roads and tackling potholes according to latest public satisfaction surveys. More investment is planned – more than £15million this financial year – to keep on top of these priority issues for residents and other road users. The percentage of residents satisfied with road maintenance in Sandwell is more than double the local government benchmark, according to latest research. And another recent survey put Sandwell in the top three local authorities nationally for the way it deals with potholes, and in the top 10 nationally for seven highway maintenance categories. Sandwell Council…

As we take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Black Country Day on Monday 14 July, Sandwell Council wants everyone to look to the future. Black Country Day has been celebrated for over a decade to honour and celebrate the heritage, history, culture and uniqueness of the people of the Black Country. Whilst inevitably the festival looks back on our proud industrial heritage, this year Sandwell Council looks forward to the future. Our region cradled the industrial revolution which powered first Britain and then the world. So, what will our role be in the future? That is the question…

An Amber heat health alert has been issued for Wolverhampton and the West Midlands with temperatures forecast to climb to more than 30C this weekend. It will be in force from 12pm today (Friday 11 July, 2025) until 9am on Tuesday 14 July, 2025, with the warmest weather forecast to climb to over 30C over the next 48 hours. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warns that the hot weather is likely to bring increased pressures on health and social care services, could lead to a possible rise in deaths – particularly among those aged 65 or over or with…

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker went back to school to announce a new education programme that will help thousands more schoolchildren improve the air quality where they live. The Mayor visited Corngreaves Academy in Cradley Heath on Clean Air Day to speak to a class of seven, eight and nine-year-olds about air pollution, how it affects them and what they can do to limit their exposure. The new schools’ programme will provide every school in the West Midlands with specially written lessons and assembly plans, hands-on classroom activities and workshops that link into the National Curriculum. Primary schools will also…

left to right, are Alison Baggs, Participation Officer, Sarah Reynolds, SEND Early Identification, Helen Taylor, Head of SEND and Inclusion, Shama Hussain, Chloe Lambert, Ellie Parker Brewer and Ne-yo Makombe, all HY5! ambassadors, Alison Hinds, Co Chair SEND and Inclusion Partnership Board, Ellis Lees Griffiths and Dhiren Kumar, both HY5! ambassadors, Andrew Scragg, Participation Officer, Megan Baynham, Kieran Smith-Mills and Harman Kambo, all HY5! ambassadors, Paul Tulley, Co Chair SEND and Inclusion Partnership Board, Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, Dr Cathy Higgins, Divisional Medical Director/Consultant Paediatrician, Pate Tate, SEND…

Annual fundraiser held on 17th June at The Kia Oval, London £17,266.10 raised in total, surpassing the £15,000 goal Proceeds to benefit BRIGHT Cancer Care and Skcin Support from sponsors, including headline sponsor Kia, and generous prize donors made the event a resounding success Women On the Move Against Cancer (WOMAC) held its annual fundraising event on Tuesday 17th June at The Kia Oval, London. Thanks to overwhelming support from the automotive industry and its generous guests, the event raised an impressive £17,266.10 in aid of its 2025 chosen charities – BRIGHT Cancer Care and Skcin. The evening, which brought…