Sandwell

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Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council defines the borough as the six amalgamated towns of Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich. Rowley Regis includes the towns of Blackheath and Cradley Heath.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Sandwell's Strategic Town Centre is designated as West Bromwich, the largest town in the borough, while Sandwell Council House (the headquarters of the local authority) is situated in Oldbury. In 2019 Sandwell was ranked 12th most deprived of England's 317 boroughs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bordering Sandwell is the City of Birmingham to the east, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley to the south and west, the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall to the north, and the City of Wolverhampton to the north-west. Spanning the borough are the parliamentary constituencies of West Bromwich, Smethwick, the majority of Tipton and Wednesbury and also part of Halesowen, which both cross into the Dudley borough.

The borough covers an area of Template:Convert. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 309,000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History and cultureEdit

File:RutlandRoadSignSmethwick.jpg

Street nameplate on Rutland Road in Smethwick in April 2007, showing painted out "County Borough" lettering.

The Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell was formed on 1 April 1974 as an amalgamation of the county boroughs of Warley (ceremonially within Worcestershire) and West Bromwich (ceremonially within Staffordshire), under the Local Government Act 1972. Warley had been formed in 1966 by a merger of the county borough of Smethwick with the municipal boroughs of Rowley Regis and Oldbury;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> at the same time, West Bromwich had absorbed the boroughs of Tipton and Wednesbury.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

For its first 12 years of existence, Sandwell had a two-tier system of local government; Sandwell Council shared power with the West Midlands County Council. In 1986 the county council was abolished, and Sandwell effectively became a unitary authority. The borough is divided into 24 wards and is represented by 72 ward councillors on the borough council.

The borough was named after Sandwell Priory, the ruins of which are located in Sandwell Valley. Gaining widespread acceptance for the identity of Sandwell and unifying the distinct communities within the borough has been a protracted affair.<ref name="Chitham">Template:Cite book</ref> The local council has considered changing its name over confusion outside the West Midlands as to the whereabouts of the borough. A survey of borough residents in June 2002 found that 65 per cent of respondents favoured retaining the name.<ref>Sandwell View Point, issue no.10</ref>

Landmarks and attractions in Sandwell include Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery, Bishop Asbury Cottage, West Bromwich Manor House, Oak House, West Bromwich, and Sandwell Valley Country Park. It is also the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C.

Sandwell used to be a popular hotspot for car cruising. In 2015 a High Court order was introduced to ban car cruising in the area. An extension has been secured to run until at least 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

PoliticsEdit

Template:See also

Since the council election in 2021, the political composition of the council has been as follows:<ref name="Councillors">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Party		Councillors
Template:Party color cell	Labour Party	60
Template:Party color cell	Conservative Party	10
Template:Party color cell	Independents	2

From the borough's creation in 1974 until 2010, all Members of Parliament (MPs) within its boundaries were Labour. However, in the 2010 general election, Conservative party candidate James Morris was elected to the Halesowen and Rowley Regis seat which incorporates the Sandwell communities of Rowley Regis, Blackheath and Cradley Heath, and the neighbouring area of Halesowen which is situated within Dudley's borders. This was the first time any part of Sandwell had elected a Conservative MP – or indeed an MP from any party other than Labour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the December 2019 general election, however, Conservative candidates Nicola Richards and Shaun Bailey were elected to represent West Bromwich East and West Bromwich West respectively. This was the first time since the borough's creation that West Bromwich has returned any Conservative MPs to Parliament, and the first time that a constituency fully within the boundaries of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council has been represented by a Tory MP. The election of both Richards and Bailey has been marked as a significant milestone in the political history of the borough and marked the end to decades of control by Labour MPs.Template:Citation needed

WardsEdit

The Sandwell Borough is divided into 24 electoral wards, with each one represented by 3 councillors on the borough council:<ref name="Councillors"/>

Ward name	Area	Population (2011 census)	Population density (people per hectare)	Ref.
Abbey	Template:Convert	11,752	55.6	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Blackheath	Template:Convert	12,292	47.3	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bristnall	Template:Convert	12,151	52.5	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Charlemont with Grove Vale	Template:Convert	11,964	22.9	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Cradley Heath and Old Hill	Template:Convert	13,365	33.6	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Friar Park	Template:Convert	12,625	42.3	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Great Barr with Yew Tree	Template:Convert	12,597	36.4	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Great Bridge	Template:Convert	12,962	39.9	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Greets Green and Lyng	Template:Convert	11,769	28.6	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Hateley Heath	Template:Convert	14,227	46.1	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Langley	Template:Convert	12,969	44.8	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Newton	Template:Convert	11,558	41.8	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Oldbury	Template:Convert	13,606	21.9	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Old Warley	Template:Convert	11,915	44.6	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Princes End	Template:Convert	12,981	46.7	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Rowley	Template:Convert	11,784	29.0	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Smethwick	Template:Convert	14,146	63.6	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Soho and Victoria	Template:Convert	15,042	46.9	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
St. Pauls	Template:Convert	14,226	32.6	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Tipton Green	Template:Convert	12,834	37.6	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Tividale	Template:Convert	12,616	43.4	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Wednesbury North	Template:Convert	12,682	36.0	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Wednesbury South	Template:Convert	12,510	25.8	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
West Bromwich Central	Template:Convert	13,290	20.4	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Central Campus, Sandwell College, West Bromwich.png

Sandwell College in West Bromwich

EducationEdit

Template:See also Sandwell is home to nearly 100 primary schools, 25 secondary schools, 4 special schools and 1 college.

Sandwell College, the only further education college in the borough, was opened in September 1986 following the merger of Warley College and West Bromwich College.<ref name=SWCollegeGuide>Template:Cite news</ref> It was originally based in the old Warley College buildings on Pound Road, Oldbury, and the West Bromwich College buildings on West Bromwich High Street, as well as a building in Smethwick town centre, but moved into a new single site campus in West Bromwich town centre in September 2012.<ref name=SWCollegeGuide/> In 2004, a debt-ridden Sandwell College was subject to a police investigation.<ref>Fraud row college to axe 100 jobs</ref>

MediaEdit

TelevisionEdit

The area is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. Television signals are received from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>