£20 million of Government fundng will focus on the Wednesbury area of Sandwell and build upon regeneration and plans in place to deliver ambitious projects for the community.

Sandwell Council and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have agreed the programme that will be delivered as part of their Levelling Up Partnership.

Sandwell Council is one of the first local authorities in the country to have a Levelling Up Partnership. This follows on from Sandwell gaining over £107million investment from funds including the Towns Fund and the Levelling Up Fund.

The partnership will help Sandwell Council deliver much-needed new homes, help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, improve green spaces and Wednesbury town centre, and expand the Millennium Centre so that more can be done to give people the skills they need to secure better jobs. Councillor Kerrie Carmichael, Leader of Sandwell Council, said:

“We want everyone to be able to live well in Sandwell. That means providing the best education and training, creating opportunities to get a good job so everyone can achieve their potential, and to have good health from childhood into old age.

“Our new world-class community leisure facility, the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, shows what we can do, and that is just one of 66 projects in our pipeline to create these opportunities and lift up our communities.

“We welcome this investment in Wednesbury, and have worked positively with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to make the most of this funding in a way that complements our approach.

“We take this further investment from the government as a real endorsement on our track record to deliver improvements for our residents and I’m really positive about the future for Sandwell.”