In Sandwell, we care about each other and it is our community that makes us proud to call this place our home.
We’re down to earth and proud of our heritage as a powerhouse of the industrial revolution, and this history is still evident today in the unique and distinct character of our towns and neighbourhoods.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Sandwell Council, when our six towns were brought together under our current boundaries.
Sandwell is at the heart of the West Midlands and we have a young, diverse and rapidly growing population. We’re proud of the diverse communities that bring so much to our borough.
Our borough is full of wonderful green places, like our much-loved Sandwell Valley Country Park.
We’re the green gateway to the Black Country from Birmingham and have great connections to the rest of the country.
We already have an outstanding track record in bringing funding into our borough and we are determined to make the most of our peoples’ skills, abilities, and resourcefulness to attract even more investment into Sandwell for the long term.
The Sandwell Aquatics Centre showed what we can do when we get the chance. We played host to visitors from all over the world during the Commonwealth Games and we now have a state-of-the-art community leisure centre for all of our residents to enjoy.
But the thing that really makes Sandwell bostin is our people.
It’s not like us to shout about our achievements or put ourselves in the spotlight.
We know that we face some big challenges here. Too many of our residents’ have their health and life expectancy impacted by their social circumstances. Child poverty is double the national average and some people’s prospects – especially when it comes to health – might not always be as good as they can be. Times have been hard for many of us in recent years.
But we also know our community is amazing when we come together, and there is so much potential to unlock.
The council hasn’t got everything right in recent years, but we’ve maintained vital services for our residents most in need.
As we mark our 50th anniversary, our focus is on being brilliant at the basics. That means getting things right for our residents – making our services easy to use and working for the people who need them.
And our ambition doesn’t stop there. We want Sandwell to be a great place for children to grow up. We want to create the good jobs and opportunities that will help everyone realise their potential, and for our residents to live longer in good health.
Together we can deliver a great future for Sandwell and change people’s lives for the better.