Sandwell

For the article relating to the local authority, see Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. For the techno collective, see Sandwell District.

Borough of Sandwell
Metropolitan borough
Sandwell Council House in Oldbury, West Midlands
Coat of arms
Motto: Unity and Progress
Sandwell shown within the West Midlands and England
Coordinates:
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	West Midlands
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Historic County	Staffordshire and Worcestershire
Status	Metropolitan borough
Incorporated	1 April 1974
Admin HQ	Oldbury
Government
• Type	Metropolitan district council
• Body	Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Leadership	Leader & Cabinet (Labour)
• Mayor	Cllr. Barbara Price
• MPs	Rt. Hon. John Spellar (L) Adrian Bailey (L) Tom Watson (L) James Morris (C)
Area
• Total	33 sq mi (86 km2)
Population (mid-2014 est.)
• Total	316,719 (Ranked 28th)
• Ethnicity	69.9% White 19.2% Asian 5.9% Black 3.3% Mixed Race 0.3% Arab 1.3% Other
Time zone	GMT (UTC0)
• Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Postcode	B, DY
Area code(s)	0121, 01384
ISO 3166 code	GB-SAW
ONS code	00CS (ONS) E08000028 (GSS)
OS grid reference	SO9954890217
NUTS 3	UKG37
Website	www.sandwell.gov.uk

Sandwell is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country and the West Midlands conurbation. According to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, the borough comprises the six towns of Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury, and West Bromwich, although these places consist of numerous smaller settlements and localities. Though West Bromwich is the largest town in the borough and its designated Strategic Town Centre, Sandwell Council House (the headquarters of the local authority) is situated in Oldbury.

Bordering Sandwell is the City of Birmingham to the east, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley to the south and west, the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall to the north, and the City of Wolverhampton to the north-west. Spanning the borough are the parliamentary constituencies of West Bromwich West, West Bromwich East, Warley, and part of Halesowen and Rowley Regis, which crosses into the Dudley borough.

At the 2011 census, the borough had population of 309,000 and an area of 86 square kilometres (33 sq mi).

Since 2009, there has been a petition to merge Sandwell with Birmingham. If successful, Birmingham would substantially increase in size with a combined population of over 1,300,000.

History and Culture

Street nameplate on Rutland Road in Smethwick in April 2007, showing painted out "County Borough" lettering.

The Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell was formed on 1 April 1974 as an amalgamation of the county boroughs of Warley (ceremonially within Worcestershire) and West Bromwich (ceremonially within Staffordshire), under the Local Government Act 1972. Warley had been formed in 1966 by a merger of the county borough of Smethwick with the municipal boroughs of Rowley Regis and Oldbury; at the same time, West Bromwich had absorbed the boroughs of Tipton and Wednesbury.

For its first 12 years of existence, Sandwell had a two-tier system of local government; Sandwell Council shared power with the West Midlands County Council. In 1986 the county council was abolished, and Sandwell effectively became a unitary authority. The borough is divided into 24 Wards and is represented by 72 ward councillors on the borough council.

The borough was named after Sandwell Priory, the ruins of which are located in Sandwell Valley. The local council has considered changing its name in the past over confusion as to the whereabouts of the borough outside the West Midlands, and in June 2002 a survey of borough residents was carried out. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed favoured retaining the name Sandwell.

Landmarks and attractions in Sandwell include Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery, Bishop Asbury Cottage, West Bromwich Manor House, Oak House, West Bromwich, Sandwell Valley Country Park, and The Public. It is also the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C..

Politics

See also: Sandwell local elections

Most of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council's councillors are members of the Labour Party. Since the council election in 2012, the political composition of the council has been as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Labour Party	67
	Conservative Party	2
	Independent	3

From the borough's creation in 1974, all Members of Parliament (MPs) within its boundaries were Labour, but in the 2010 general election, Conservative party candidate James Morris was elected to the Halesowen and Rowley Regis seat which incorporates the Sandwell communities of Rowley Regis, Blackheath and Cradley Heath, and the neighbouring area of Halesowen which is situated within Dudley's borders. This is the very first time Sandwell has had a Tory MP - or indeed an MP from any party other than Labour.

Wards

The Sandwell Borough is divided into 24 electoral wards, with each one represented by 3 councillors on the borough council:

Ward name	Area (ha)/mi2	Population (2011 census)	Population density (people per hectare)	Ref.
Abbey	211 hectares (0.81 sq mi)	11,752	55.6
Blackheath	260 hectares (1.0 sq mi)	12,292	47.3
Bristnall	231 hectares (0.89 sq mi)	12,151	52.5
Charlemont with Grove Vale	522 hectares (2.02 sq mi)	11,964	22.9
Cradley Heath and Old Hill	403 hectares (1.56 sq mi)	13,365	33.6
Friar Park	299 hectares (1.15 sq mi)	12,625	42.3
Great Barr with Yew Tree	346 hectares (1.34 sq mi)	12,597	36.4
Great Bridge	325 hectares (1.25 sq mi)	12,962	39.9
Greets Green and Lyng	412 hectares (1.59 sq mi)	11,769	28.6
Hateley Heath	309 hectares (1.19 sq mi)	14,227	46.1
Langley	290 hectares (1.1 sq mi)	12,969	44.8
Newton	276 hectares (1.07 sq mi)	11,558	41.8
Oldbury	621 hectares (2.40 sq mi)	13,606	21.9
Old Warley	267 hectares (1.03 sq mi)	11,915	44.6
Princes End	278 hectares (1.07 sq mi)	12,981	46.7
Rowley	407 hectares (1.57 sq mi)	11,784	29.0
Smethwick	222 hectares (0.86 sq mi)	14,146	63.6
Soho and Victoria	321 hectares (1.24 sq mi)	15,042	46.9
St. Pauls	437 hectares (1.69 sq mi)	14,226	32.6
Tipton Green	341 hectares (1.32 sq mi)	12,834	37.6
Tividale	291 hectares (1.12 sq mi)	12,616	43.4
Wednesbury North	352 hectares (1.36 sq mi)	12,682	36.0
Wednesbury South	485 hectares (1.87 sq mi)	12,510	25.8
West Bromwich Central	652 hectares (2.52 sq mi)	13,290	20.4

Sandwell College in West Bromwich

Education

See also: List of schools in Sandwell

Sandwell is home to nearly 100 primary schools, 25 secondary schools, 4 special schools and 1 college.

The sole further education college in the borough, Sandwell College was opened in September 1986 following the merger of Warley College and West Bromwich College. 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. In 2004, a debt-ridden Sandwell College was subject to a police investigation.

Localities

See also List of areas in Sandwell

Localities in the borough include:

• Warley
  • Cradley Heath
    • Old Hill
  • Oldbury
    • Brandhall
    • Langley Green
    • Oakham
    • Rood End
    • Tividale
  • Smethwick
    • Albion Estate
    • Bearwood
    • Cape Hill
    • Londonderry
    • Uplands
    • West Smethwick
    • Black Patch & Soho
  • Rowley Regis
    • Blackheath,
• West Bromwich
  • • Charlemont and Grove Vale
    • Great Barr (although some areas are part of Birmingham and Walsall)
    • Guns Village
    • Hamstead
    • Hill Top
    • Stone Cross
    • Yew Tree
    • Greets Green
    • Hateley Heath
  • Wednesbury
    • Friar Park
  • Tipton
    • Dudley Port
    • Great Bridge
    • Horseley Heath
    • Ocker Hill
    • Princes End
    • Summer Hill
    • Tividale

Local places of interest

• The Public, West Bromwich
• Sandwell Priory
• Sandwell Valley
• Sandwell Valley Country Park
• RSPB Sandwell Valley
• Sheepwash Urban Park
• The Hawthorns
• Sandwell General Hospital
• Sandwell College
• Holly Lodge High School

See also

• Wednesbury Central railway station
• Wednesbury bus station
• Wednesbury Town railway station
• Healthcare in West Midlands.

External links

• Sandwell MBC
• Research Sandwell
• Sandwell Trends - a Local Intelligence System for Sandwell
• Sandwell Building Schools for the Future
• Sandwell Lions Club