Sandwell Council has been named the ‘Most Improved Council’ at this year’s Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards.
Shokat Lal, Chief Executive of Sandwell Council, said: “We’re really proud of the progress we’ve made in recent years. Winning this prestigious award is fantastic recognition of the positive impact the improvements we’ve made are now having for our residents.
“Our adult social care services have been rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission this year, and Ofsted judged children’s services in Sandwell as ‘Good’ last year through our partnership with Sandwell Children’s Trust. We are proud to be ranked best in the West Midlands and fourth in the country for the condition of our roads.”
“This is just the start, and we are committed to making real changes which will benefit our residents and our borough for generations to come.
“We know there’s more to do to achieve this and are focused on meeting our ambition to become an outstanding council. It’s great that our progress so far has been recognised by our local government peers by winning this award.”
The LGC Awards are the biggest celebration of excellence in local government, run by the Local Government Chronicle.
The Most Improved Council category recognises authorities that have successfully led major organisational change to deliver genuine improvement.
The judging panel described Sandwell Council as, “a worthy winner in a strong field”, and went on to say: “Sandwell Council demonstrated strong evidence of performance improvement, combined with a welcome humility and self-awareness. The council recognised the need to sustain momentum and continues to show ambition and commitment in responding to the needs of its communities, positioning itself well for ongoing and future improvement.”
Leader of the Council, Councillor Ray Nock said: “This is a superb achievement which shows there is a lot to be proud of in Sandwell. Alongside my new Cabinet we’re totally committed to making our borough an even better place to live and work.
“We are going to be working hard to keep improving services for all our residents and to bring our community together.
“We will be focused on the issues that matter to people in Sandwell, creating jobs, boosting our town centres and high streets and helping with the cost of living.”
The full list of winners can be found at: LGC Awards 2026