Manifesto 2024
Our 2024 pledges:
We will:
- Support residents through the cost of living crisis
- Reduce youth unemployment
- Increase allotments across the borough to meet demand
- Tackle childhood obesity
- Remove fly tipping within 48 hours and offensive graffiti within 24 hours from public land
- Reduce digital poverty by providing free mobile SIM cards from a Sandwell Data Bank
- Attract further investment to our town centres and improve access in towns for people with disabilities
- Increase access for school children to mental health services by employing mental health champions
- Work in partnership to support services and residents with mental health conditions
In the 2024/25 budget we have also committed to:
- Keeping our 20 libraries open
- Continuing with Welcoming Spaces
- Keeping community meals service
- Providing a youth service across the borough
- Keeping our leisure services open
- Free bulky waste collection annually for residents over the age of 65
- Face to face service in each of our 6 towns
- Free swimming sessions for children & over 65’s
- Holiday activities and go play
- STAR service – helping people live independently
- Shared Lives which supports individuals with learning disabilities
- Family hubs in each town
- Litter and bin collection services including a subsidised green collection
- Community alarm service to support independent living
How we’ve delivered on our 2023 pledges:
Creating a child friendly Sandwell
We have commenced the 3-5 year process to obtain UNICEF Child Friendly Status for putting children and young people at the centre of what we do.
Having effective neighbourhood working
We have undertaken a review to work more effectively at neighbourhood level including opening 2 community hubs and 7 family hubs.
Being a dementia friendly borough
We have held lots of events and training to raise awareness of dementia in the council and in schools as well as introducing the Dementia Bus.
Exploring boroughwide licencing to control HMOs
We are currently consulting with landlords and other stakeholders in Sandwell about introducing additional licensing for all HMOs.
Continuing to invest to improve the quality of our green spaces
We have invested over £3m in 2022/23, delivering improvements at 28 play areas, 27 parks, amenity spaces & green corridors, and 10 nature reserves.
Continuing to support our residents through the cost of living crisis
We had over 100k visitors to Welcome Spaces across Sandwell this winter and have provided support and advice to residents as well as developing a new Tackling Poverty strategy for 2024/25.