Most of the money that comes from Council Tax is spent on Adult Social Care and Children’s Services and Education - looking after older, vulnerable and disabled people, and supporting our children and young people. The cost of these services makes up about 60% of how we spend our net budget.
In February 2025, the council set a balanced budget for the 2025/26 financial year. You can read more about the 2025/26 budget in our press release.
The 2025/26 budget delivers on the priorities in the Council Plan – Sandwell Council’s vision and hopes for the borough looking forward to 2027, including:
- Investing in a brand-new school and focusing on school attendance.
- Continuing to fund Youth Services and investing in playgrounds and play zones in open spaces.
- Putting young people at the centre of everything by working with UNICEF to become a Child Friendly Borough.
- Committing to improving services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
- Delivering new homes and preventing homelessness.
- Working with the police and partners to further reduce serious youth violence – which has reduced by 20% in Sandwell over the past year.
- Tackling fly-tipping to keep our communities clean and safe.
- A one-off deep clean up in every ward.
- Increased investment in small and medium road safety schemes to help make our streets safer.
- More than 30 park improvement projects planned, and the building of Sandwell’s first new park in its history.
- £256,000 of investment in CCTV and ANPR cameras to tackle ASB and environmental crimes.
- Spending more on tree maintenance and protecting the pest control service.
- Investment in new electric street cleansing vehicles.
- Moving ahead with the Birchley Island M5 Junction 2 improvement scheme.
- A sixth new leisure centre in 12 years at Haden Hill.
- Additional support for adult social care provider markets.
- Reducing drug and alcohol-related deaths.
- Continuing to fund food banks and pantries.
- Freezing parking charges in town centres and across the borough
- Investing up to £55million in highways
- Improving customer service and keeping our face-to-face offices open.