Tipton council flats facing at least one year delay

A multi-million-pound move to build new council flats in Tipton town centre will be delayed by at least a year.

Sandwell Council said the work to build 55 new flats in Union Street, Tipton, will not be finished until summer 2028 – a year later than planned – after the collapse of construction firm Torsion earlier this year.

The local authority has now appointed Speller Metcalfe to build the flats after receiving the backing of its ruling Reform cabinet on Wednesday (November 11).

Cllr Matt Lloyd (Reform – Tipton Green) said: “I’m extremely happy this [decision] has come to us today. In July when Torsion went under, my inbox was quite full of concerns from residents about the future of all of this so I think it’s really good that I can go back to them with this news today.”

The ageing blocks of council flats in Union Street were demolished two-and-a-half years ago before work began on the new flats in earnest in August 2025.

However, little work was carried out following the groundbreaking ceremony last summer and Torsion filing for administration in July this year.

Before the multi-million-pound plans were thrown into chaos following the demise of Torsion, the flats were expected to have been completed next summer.

The town’s nearby former Conservative Club is being converted into 15 new council flats by McPhillips with the work expected to be finished by the end of next year.

Sandwell Council was given £20m in ‘levelling up’ money from the Conservative government in 2023 to invest in regenerating Tipton town centre with the most of the money expected to be spent on replacing the dilapidated council flats in Union Street with new ones.

Earlier this year, roads and pavements in Tipton town centre were resurfaced with new streetlights, bus shelters and pedestrian crossings installed alongside new trees and plants.

Initial and much-supported plans to breathe new life into many of the empty and run-down shops in Owen Street were scrapped in 2025 due to rising costs.

By Christian Barnett | Local Democracy Reporting Service