Sandwell Council is exploring online digital solutions for unpaid carers that provide information, guidance, advice and support at times when standard services are not available. Some of the £300,000 funding secured from the Department of Health and Social Care’s Accelerated Reform Fund has enabled our Adult Social Care team commission Bridgit Care – which is an online platform designed to offer localised content tailored to the needs of carers 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Interactive workshops took place during May aimed at giving carers hands-on access to test the new website, with insights shared with the…

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…

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…

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…

Sandwell Council is currently running a Community Grant Scheme for projects which get people walking, wheeling, or cycling. It’s open to charities, community groups and schools. You can apply for up to £15,000 before the grant closes on 30 June 2025. Guidance and the online application form can be found here. Successful groups will be informed on the week commencing 7 July and project delivery, monitoring and reporting will need to be completed by 15 September 2025.

From 15 September this year, Sandwell Council will introduce changes to bin collections to improve recycling quality and meet new Government regulations. The council is introducing Alternate Weekly Collections (AWC) for bins and recycling to meet new UK Government Simpler Recycling regulations which will help improve recycling rates, reduce contamination and disposal costs, freeing up funds for other vital services. This means that while all households will have a collection on a weekly basis, non-recycling waste (grey bin) will be collected one week, with recycling collected the following week. During the first week of the changes, some households will have…

A Brierley Hill man has become the 11th person to be brought before the courts by Sandwell Council for breaching the Black Country-wide street racing injunction on the borough’s roads. Scott Hill, aged 37, of Watchman Avenue, who was racing other vehicles in his car along Kenrick Way, West Bromwich, at around 10pm on 12 April 2025 landed himself a suspended prison sentence and a court bill of more than £3,000. He was arrested by police under the injunction’s power of arrest. Appearing at Birmingham High Court, Mr Hill admitted racing other vehicles at speeds greatly in excess of the…

Two Sandwell councillors are taking on a walking challenge to raise awareness of men’s mental health. Councillor Jackie Taylor, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Health and Wellbeing, and Old Warley Councillor Luke Cotterill are taking on a six-park, three-day walking challenge in June during Men’s Health Week. The challenge involves them walking between six parks across Sandwell over three days, with a one hour community walk at each park, culminating in a community event on Father’s Day (Sunday 15 June) at West Smethwick Park. Councillor Taylor said: “We’re standing shoulder to shoulder and walking for men’s mental health in…

A Black Country-wide conference around hoarding behaviours saw professionals hearing people’s experiences and pledging to work together to further improve support on offer. The ‘Behind Closed Doors’ conference coincided with National Hoarding Awareness Week 2025 (Monday 12 May to Friday 16 May). Working in partnership, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton Safeguarding Adults Boards held the event at Walsall FC’s Bescot Stadium. Professionals from a range of organisations across the Black Country attended the conference to further develop their knowledge and skills around hoarding behaviours, share best practice and hear from people who exhibit hoarding behaviours and their experiences. Ian…