New budget prioritises a cleaner, greener and safer Sandwell

Sandwell Council’s balanced budget for 2026/2027 has been approved by full council.

The total net budget of just over £464 million is spent on providing services to residents of Sandwell.

From looking after children in care, making sure roads are safe, stopping anti-social behaviour, and providing care to elderly, councils use their budget to support journey through life.

Leader of Sandwell Council, Councillor Kerrie Carmichael said: “We are a caring council that gets things done, and this budget supports our ambition to get things right for our residents – delivering high-quality services that are easy to use and working for the people who need them.

“By supporting vulnerable people, investing in the services that make a difference to everyone’s daily lives and creating the opportunities that boost people’s life chances, we are committed to making real changes which will benefit our residents and our borough for generations to come.”

At a meeting on 24 February, councillors approved measures including the installation of 62 new CCTV cameras, the launch of 34 new pop-up recycling centres, doubling the funding for the council's anti-social behaviour team and investing in parks and green spaces.

Commitments were also made to build a new Causeway Green Primary School and a new Haden Hill Leisure Centre, to invest an extra £1.5 million on maintaining roads and a further £1 million on road safety.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Paul Moore added: “This budget delivers on our priorities while continuing to support the elderly, the vulnerable, the disabled and our children and young people.

"With almost two thirds of our budget spent on Adult Social Care and Children’s Services and Education, we’re protecting and investing in our services, while keeping our Council Tax as low as we can.

“This is a budget that will make Sandwell a cleaner, greener and safer place to live – a great place for our children and young people to grow up with a thriving economy, providing opportunities for growth, good jobs and prosperity for everyone."

The council’s budget took into consideration findings from the budget consultation which engaged with around 2,500 residents, businesses, voluntary sector organisations and young people.