Programmes

Smethwick is one of 75 towns across the UK selected to receive up to £20 million of Government investment over the next 10 years, through the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme. This long-term funding is a real opportunity for change but more importantly, it puts power where it belongs - in our hands as a community. This programme is designed to ensure that we, the people who live and work in Smethwick, lead the way in setting priorities and shaping projects for our town. 

Take a look at the Plan for Neighbourhoods Prospectus here.

How we're making it happen

Our Smethwick Partnership Board, working closely with Sandwell Council as the Accountable Body, will ensure local voices are at the heart of every decision. We are committed to ensuring that this investment delivers on the things that matter most to our community.

Together, we will create a 10-year Regeneration Plan and a 4-year investment plan. These plans will focus on the themes set by Govenrment, which reflect the things many of us already care about:

• Regeneration, High Streets and Heritage
• Housing
• Works, Productivity and Skills
• Cohesion
• Health and Wellbeing
• Transport
• Safety and Security
• Education and Opportunity

These plans will outline key activities and projects to meet the Government’s three core priorities: Thriving Places, Stronger Communities and Taking Back Control. Our plans are due to be submitted in Winter 2025 and we will need your continued input to shape them.

How we got here

In October 2023, the former Government announced the Long-Term Plan programme where Smethwick was selected to receive up to £20 million over 10-years. To unlock this funding, each town was asked to create a Long-Term Plan that truly reflected the needs and hopes of its community.

In Spring 2024, we invited residents, businesses and community groups to share their ideas by taking part in a public survey. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to get involved - your feedback helped us create a strong draft Investment Plan by July 2024.

However, we also want to be honest about the challenges we faced. The engagement process in 2024 took place during both Local and General Election periods, which placed significant restrictions on how we could promote activities and reach people. We know that not all communities had the chance to take part and we acknowledge that this limited the depth and breadth of engagement.

We are listening, we have learned and we are committed to doing better. As the programme moves forward under the new name Plan for Neighbourhoods, we will work harder to reach more people, in more places, in more ways. We want everyone in Smethwick to have the opportunity to help shape the future of our town.

In March 2025, the Government relaunched the programme as Plan for Neighbourhoods - keeping the funding and purpose, but with some new themes and priorities. The focus remains the same: giving communities the power to shape the places they call home.

What's next?

Staying connected with our community is a top priority. We want to make sure that everyone in Smethwick - individuals, groups, and local organisations - has the chance to get involved and share their ideas.

At the moment, no projects have been chosen yet. We are working on a simple, open process to invite project ideas from across the community. We will share more details as soon as we can.

The Government has said that projects will begin from April 2026, which gives us time to plan carefully and make sure the process is fair, inclusive and shaped by what you tell us matters most.

Stay Involved

We want this to be a journey we take together — one that’s built by the people who know Smethwick best. If you’d like to stay up to date, find out about upcoming events, or share your ideas, join our mailing list.

Email us at Smethwick_PFN@sandwell.gov.uk to join.

Let's shape Smethwick's future together.