Sandwell is ametropolitan borough of theWest Midlands county inEngland. The borough is named after theSandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of theWest Midlands conurbation.Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council defines the borough as the six amalgamated towns ofOldbury,Rowley Regis,Smethwick,Tipton,Wednesbury andWest Bromwich. Rowley Regis includes the towns ofBlackheath andCradley Heath.[2]
Sandwell's Strategic Town Centre is designated as West Bromwich, the largest town in the borough, while Sandwell Council House (the headquarters of the local authority) is situated in Oldbury. In 2019 Sandwell was ranked 12th most deprived of England's 317 boroughs.[3]
Bordering Sandwell is theCity of Birmingham to the east, theMetropolitan Borough of Dudley to the south and west, theMetropolitan Borough of Walsall to the north, and theCity of Wolverhampton to the north-west. Spanning the borough are the parliamentary constituencies ofWest Bromwich,Smethwick, the majority ofTipton and Wednesbury and also part ofHalesowen, which both cross into the Dudley borough.
The borough covers an area of 86 square kilometres (33 sq mi). At the 2011 census, it had a population of 309,000.[4]
The Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell was formed on 1 April 1974 as anamalgamation of thecounty boroughs ofWarley (ceremonially withinWorcestershire) andWest Bromwich (ceremonially withinStaffordshire), under theLocal Government Act 1972. Warley had been formed in 1966 by a merger of thecounty borough of Smethwick with themunicipal boroughs of Rowley Regis and Oldbury;[5] at the same time, West Bromwich had absorbed the boroughs of Tipton and Wednesbury.[6]
For its first 12 years of existence, Sandwell had a two-tier system of local government; Sandwell Council shared power with theWest Midlands County Council. In 1986 the county council was abolished, and Sandwell effectively became aunitary authority. The borough is divided into 24wards and is represented by 72 wardcouncillors on the borough council.
The borough was named after Sandwell Priory, the ruins of which are located inSandwell Valley. Gaining widespread acceptance for the identity of Sandwell and unifying the distinct communities within the borough has been a protracted affair.[7] The local council has considered changing its name over confusion outside the West Midlands as to the whereabouts of the borough. A survey of borough residents in June 2002 found that 65 per cent of respondents favoured retaining the name.[8]
Landmarks and attractions in Sandwell includeSandwell Aquatics Centre,Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery,Bishop Asbury Cottage,West Bromwich Manor House,Oak House, West Bromwich, andSandwell Valley Country Park. It is also the home ofWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
Sandwell used to be a popular hotspot forcar cruising. In 2015 a High Court order was introduced to ban car cruising in the area. An extension has been secured to run until at least 2021.[9]
Since thecouncil election in 2021, the political composition of the council has been as follows:[10]
| Party | Councillors | |
| Labour Party | 60 | |
| Conservative Party | 10 | |
| Independents | 2 | |
From the borough's creation in 1974 until 2010, allMembers of Parliament (MPs) within its boundaries were Labour. However, in the2010 general election, Conservative party candidateJames Morris was elected to theHalesowen and Rowley Regis seat which incorporates the Sandwell communities ofRowley Regis,Blackheath andCradley Heath, and the neighbouring area ofHalesowen which is situated withinDudley's borders. This was the first time any part of Sandwell had elected a Conservative MP – or indeed an MP from any party other than Labour.[11] In the December 2019 general election, however, Conservative candidatesNicola Richards andShaun Bailey were elected to representWest Bromwich East andWest Bromwich West respectively. This was the first time since the borough's creation thatWest Bromwich has returned any Conservative MPs to Parliament, and the first time that a constituency fully within the boundaries of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council has been represented by a Tory MP. The election of both Richards and Bailey has been marked as a significant milestone in the political history of the borough and marked the end to decades of control by Labour MPs.[citation needed]
The Sandwell Borough is divided into 24electoral wards, with each one represented by 3 councillors on the borough council:[10]
| Ward name | Area | Population (2011 census) | Population density (people per hectare) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey | 211 hectares (0.81 sq mi) | 11,752 | 55.6 | [12] |
| Blackheath | 260 hectares (1.0 sq mi) | 12,292 | 47.3 | [13] |
| Bristnall | 231 hectares (0.89 sq mi) | 12,151 | 52.5 | [14] |
| Charlemont with Grove Vale | 522 hectares (2.02 sq mi) | 11,964 | 22.9 | [15] |
| Cradley Heath and Old Hill | 403 hectares (1.56 sq mi) | 13,365 | 33.6 | [16] |
| Friar Park | 299 hectares (1.15 sq mi) | 12,625 | 42.3 | [17] |
| Great Barr with Yew Tree | 346 hectares (1.34 sq mi) | 12,597 | 36.4 | [18] |
| Great Bridge | 325 hectares (1.25 sq mi) | 12,962 | 39.9 | [19] |
| Greets Green and Lyng | 412 hectares (1.59 sq mi) | 11,769 | 28.6 | [20] |
| Hateley Heath | 309 hectares (1.19 sq mi) | 14,227 | 46.1 | [21] |
| Langley | 290 hectares (1.1 sq mi) | 12,969 | 44.8 | [22] |
| Newton | 276 hectares (1.07 sq mi) | 11,558 | 41.8 | [23] |
| Oldbury | 621 hectares (2.40 sq mi) | 13,606 | 21.9 | [24] |
| Old Warley | 267 hectares (1.03 sq mi) | 11,915 | 44.6 | [25] |
| Princes End | 278 hectares (1.07 sq mi) | 12,981 | 46.7 | [26] |
| Rowley | 407 hectares (1.57 sq mi) | 11,784 | 29.0 | [27] |
| Smethwick | 222 hectares (0.86 sq mi) | 14,146 | 63.6 | [28] |
| Soho and Victoria | 321 hectares (1.24 sq mi) | 15,042 | 46.9 | [29] |
| St. Pauls | 437 hectares (1.69 sq mi) | 14,226 | 32.6 | [30] |
| Tipton Green | 341 hectares (1.32 sq mi) | 12,834 | 37.6 | [31] |
| Tividale | 291 hectares (1.12 sq mi) | 12,616 | 43.4 | [32] |
| Wednesbury North | 352 hectares (1.36 sq mi) | 12,682 | 36.0 | [33] |
| Wednesbury South | 485 hectares (1.87 sq mi) | 12,510 | 25.8 | [34] |
| West Bromwich Central | 652 hectares (2.52 sq mi) | 13,290 | 20.4 | [35] |
Sandwell is home to nearly 100 primary schools, 25 secondary schools, 4 special schools and 1 college.
Sandwell College, the onlyfurther education college in the borough, was opened in September 1986 following the merger ofWarley College and West Bromwich College.[36] It was originally based in the old Warley College buildings on Pound Road, Oldbury, and the West Bromwich College buildings on West Bromwich High Street, as well as a building in Smethwick town centre, but moved into a new single site campus in West Bromwich town centre in September 2012.[36] In 2004, a debt-ridden Sandwell College was subject to a police investigation.[37]
The area is served byBBC West Midlands andITV Central. Television signals are received from theSutton Coldfield TV transmitter.[38]
Radio stations for the area are:
Local newspapers for the area are:[40]
The six towns that comprise Sandwell and localities within each include:
Sandwell is twinned with:[42]
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