New balanced budget prioritises a cleaner, greener and safer Sandwell

The total net budget of £464.48million is spent on providing services to residents of Sandwell – things that all of us come across in our day-to-day lives.

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

At a meeting on Tuesday (24 February), councillors approved:

• The installation of 62 new CCTV cameras to keep our neighbourhoods cleaner and safer – helping us to tackle fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.
• Launching 34 new pop-up recycling centres to help us all reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill. New litter bins on our streets will also help keep our neighbourhoods clean.
• Doubling the funding for our anti-social behaviour team and investing in our wonderful parks and green spaces. We’re spending £1million on our play areas, building a new archives centre and making improvements to our cemeteries and crematoria.
• Building a new Causeway Green Primary School and a new Haden Hill Leisure Centre.
• Investing an extra £1.5million over the next financial year on maintaining our roads and pavements – building on Government recognition of our roads being among the best in the country.
• Investing a further £1million+ on road safety – prioritising the places where residents have raised community concerns about speeding, lighting, and other issues.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance Councillor Paul Moore said: “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 gets things done. 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." 

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.”

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.

Three quarters of Sandwell households are in the two lowest bands. The increase in Council Tax for these properties ranges from £1.17 per week for a Band A property to £1.36 per week for a Band B property.

Precepts for the police and fire service will be shown separately on Council Tax bills when they are sent to households in March.

Anyone struggling to pay their Council Tax should contact the Council Tax team or the Council’s Welfare Rights team to ask for advice and assistance.

The amount the average Sandwell household pays towards their Council Tax will continue to be the lowest in the West Midlands region and among the lowest in the country. 

Most homes in Sandwell – more than three quarters – fall within Council Tax Bands A or B.

Residents in these properties would see their Council Tax increase by a maximum of £1.17 or £1.36 per week, and less if they are entitled to any reductions on their bills – such as if they receive a Single Person Discount.

Please note that weekly increases are only for the Sandwell element of Council Tax and not the total bill which will include figures from precepting authorities including West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service.

Full breakdown of increases