Sandwell

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title: "Sandwell" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sandwell", "metropolitan-boroughs-of-the-west-midlands-(county)", "nuts-3-statistical-regions-of-the-united-kingdom", "black-country-local-enterprise-partnership"] topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwell" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Borough of Sandwell
settlement_type	Metropolitan borough
image_skyline	Street market in West Bromwich - geograph.org.uk - 3046127.jpg
image_caption	West Bromwich, the largest town in Sandwell
image_shield	Coat of arms of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.png
motto	Unity and Progress
image_map	Sandwell UK locator map.svg
map_caption	Sandwell shown within the West Midlands and England
coordinates
subdivision_type	Sovereign state
subdivision_name	United Kingdom
subdivision_type1	Constituent country
subdivision_name1	England
subdivision_type2	Region
subdivision_name2	West Midlands
subdivision_type3	Metropolitan county
subdivision_name3	West Midlands
subdivision_type4	Historic County
subdivision_name4	Staffordshire and Worcestershire
subdivision_type5	Status
subdivision_name5	Metropolitan borough
established_title1	Incorporated
established_date1	1 April 1974
seat_type	Admin HQ
seat	Oldbury
government_type	Metropolitan district council
governing_body	Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
leader_party
leader_title	Leadership
leader_name	Leader & Cabinet
leader_title1	Mayor
leader_name1	Cllr Bill Gavan (2023 - Present)
leader_title2	MPs
unit_pref	Imperial
area_total_km2	86
population_total	(Ranked )
population_as_of
population_density_km2	3752
demographics_type1	Ethnicity (2021)
demographics1_footnotes
demographics1_title1	Ethnic groups
demographics_type2	Religion (2021)
demographics2_footnotes
demographics2_title1	Religion
timezone	GMT BST
postal_code_type	Postcode
postal_code	B 43 & 64-71, DY 4, WS 5 & 10, WV 14,
area_codes	0121, 01384
iso_code	GB-SAW
blank1_name	ONS code
blank1_info	00CS (ONS)
E08000028 (GSS)
blank2_name	OS grid reference
blank2_info
blank3_name	NUTS 3
blank3_info	UKG37
website
::

::callout[type=note] the metropolitan district in England ::

| name = Borough of Sandwell | settlement_type = Metropolitan borough | image_skyline = Street market in West Bromwich - geograph.org.uk - 3046127.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = West Bromwich, the largest town in Sandwell | image_shield = Coat of arms of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.png | shield_alt = | shield_link = | motto = Unity and Progress | image_map = Sandwell UK locator map.svg | map_alt = | map_caption = Sandwell shown within the West Midlands and England | coordinates = | subdivision_type = Sovereign state | subdivision_name = United Kingdom | subdivision_type1 = Constituent country | subdivision_name1 = England | subdivision_type2 = Region | subdivision_name2 = West Midlands | subdivision_type3 = Metropolitan county | subdivision_name3 = West Midlands | subdivision_type4 = Historic County | subdivision_name4 = Staffordshire and Worcestershire | subdivision_type5 = Status | subdivision_name5 = Metropolitan borough | established_title1 = Incorporated | established_date1 = 1 April 1974 | seat_type = Admin HQ | seat = Oldbury | government_type = Metropolitan district council | governing_body = Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council | leader_party = | leader_title = Leadership | leader_name = Leader & Cabinet | leader_title1 = Mayor | leader_name1 = Cllr Bill Gavan (2023 - Present) | leader_title2 = MPs | leader_name2 = Gurinder Josan (L) Antonia Bance (L) Sarah Coombes (L) Alex Ballinger (L) | unit_pref = Imperial | area_total_km2 = 86 | area_rank = | population_total = (Ranked ) | population_as_of = | population_density_km2 = 3752 | | demographics_type1 = Ethnicity (2021) | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = Ethnic groups | demographics1_info1 = | 57.2% White | 25.8% Asian | 8.7% Black | 4.3% Mixed | 4% other | demographics_type2 = Religion (2021) | demographics2_footnotes = | demographics2_title1 = Religion | demographics2_info1 = | 39.9% Christianity | 26.1% no religion | 13.4% Islam | 11.5% Sikhism | 5.4% not stated | 2.8% Hinduism | 0.7% other | 0.3% Buddhism | 0.1% Judaism | timezone = GMT BST | postal_code_type = Postcode | postal_code = B 43 & 64-71, DY 4, WS 5 & 10, WV 14, | area_codes = 0121, 01384 | iso_code = GB-SAW | blank1_name = ONS code | blank1_info = 00CS (ONS) E08000028 (GSS) | blank2_name = OS grid reference | blank2_info = | blank3_name = NUTS 3 | blank3_info = UKG37 | website =

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.

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.

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 86 sqkm. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 309,000.

History and culture

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/RutlandRoadSignSmethwick.jpg" caption="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; at the same time, West Bromwich had absorbed the boroughs of Tipton and Wednesbury.

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. 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.

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.

Politics

Since the council election in 2021, the political composition of the council has been as follows:

::data[format=table]

	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. 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 had returned any Conservative MPs to Parliament, and the first time that a constituency fully within the boundaries of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council had been represented by a Conservative MP.

Wards

The Sandwell Borough is divided into 24 electoral wards, with each one represented by 3 councillors on the borough council:

::data[format=table] | Ward name | Area | Population (2011 census) | Population density (people per hectare) | Ref. | |---|---|---|---|---| | Abbey | 211 ha | 11,752 | 55.6 | | | Blackheath | 260 ha | 12,292 | 47.3 | | | Bristnall | 231 ha | 12,151 | 52.5 | | | Charlemont with Grove Vale | 522 ha | 11,964 | 22.9 | | | Cradley Heath and Old Hill | 403 ha | 13,365 | 33.6 | | | Friar Park | 299 ha | 12,625 | 42.3 | | | Great Barr with Yew Tree | 346 ha | 12,597 | 36.4 | | | Great Bridge | 325 ha | 12,962 | 39.9 | | | Greets Green and Lyng | 412 ha | 11,769 | 28.6 | | | Hateley Heath | 309 ha | 14,227 | 46.1 | | | Langley | 290 ha | 12,969 | 44.8 | | | Newton | 276 ha | 11,558 | 41.8 | | | Oldbury | 621 ha | 13,606 | 21.9 | | | Old Warley | 267 ha | 11,915 | 44.6 | | | Princes End | 278 ha | 12,981 | 46.7 | | | Rowley | 407 ha | 11,784 | 29.0 | | | Smethwick | 222 ha | 14,146 | 63.6 | | | Soho and Victoria | 321 ha | 15,042 | 46.9 | | | St. Pauls | 437 ha | 14,226 | 32.6 | | | Tipton Green | 341 ha | 12,834 | 37.6 | | | Tividale | 291 ha | 12,616 | 43.4 | | | Wednesbury North | 352 ha | 12,682 | 36.0 | | | Wednesbury South | 485 ha | 12,510 | 25.8 | | | West Bromwich Central | 652 ha | 13,290 | 20.4 | | ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Central_Campus,_Sandwell_College,_West_Bromwich.png" caption="[[Sandwell College]] in West Bromwich"] ::

Education

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. 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.

Demography

Ethnicity

::data[format=table]

Ethnic Group	1981 estimations	1991 census	2021 census	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	White: Total	274,239	88.5%	250,941	85.1%	195,624	57.3%	Asian or Asian British: Total	25,637	32,352	88,024	25.8%	Black or Black British: Total	8,441	9,884	29,779	8.7%	Mixed or British Mixed: Total	–	–	–	–	14,680	4.3%	Other: Total	1,346	1,623	13,725	4%	Non-White: Total	35,424	43,859	146,208	42.7%	Total	309,663	100%	294,800	100%	341,832	100%
White: British	–	–	–	–	177,929	52.1%
White: Irish	–	–	–	–	1,591	0.5%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller	–	–	–	–	324	0.1%
White: Roma	–	–	–	–	375	0.1%
White: Other	–	–	–	–	15,405	4.5%
Asian or Asian British: Indian	19,286		23,539		44,378	13.0%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani	4,071		5,662		22,148	6.5%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi	1,552		2,289		11,074	3.2%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese	315		340		1,204	0.4%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	413		522		9,220	2.7%
Black or Black British: African	213		213		12,668	3.7%
Black or Black British: Caribbean	6,892		8,048		13,103	3.8%
Black or Black British: Other Black	1336		1623		4,008	1.2%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	–	–	–	–	8,030	2.3%
Mixed: White and Black African	–	–	–	–	928	0.3%
Mixed: White and Asian	–	–	–	–	3,274	1.0%
Mixed: Other Mixed	–	–	–	–	2,448	0.7%
Other: Arab	–	–	–	–	2,016	0.6%
Other: Any other ethnic group	1346		1623		11,709	3.4%
::

Media

Television

The area is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. Television signals are received from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter.

Radio

Radio stations for the area are:

BBC Local Radio

• BBC Radio WM Independent Radio
• Heart West Midlands
• Smooth West Midlands
• Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands
• Capital Midlands
• Hits Radio Birmingham
• Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire Community Radio
• Black Country Radio

Newspapers

Local newspapers for the area are:

• Express & Star
• Oldbury Weekly News
• Smethwick Telephone
• Tipton Herald
• Wednesbury Herald
• West Bromwich Chronicle

Notable people

:See :Category:People from Sandwell (district)

Localities

The six towns that comprise Sandwell and localities within each include:

• Oldbury
  • Brandhall
  • Langley Green
  • Oakham
  • Rood End
• Rowley Regis
  • Blackheath
  • Cradley Heath
  • Old Hill
  • Tividale
• Smethwick
  • Albion Estate
  • Black Patch & Soho
  • Bearwood
  • Cape Hill
  • Londonderry
  • North Smethwick
  • Uplands
  • West Smethwick
• Tipton
  • Dudley Port
  • Great Bridge
  • Horseley Heath
  • Ocker Hill
  • Princes End
  • Summer Hill
• West Bromwich
  • Charlemont and Grove Vale
  • Great Barr (although some areas are part of Birmingham and Walsall)
  • Guns Village
  • Hamstead
  • Hill Top
  • Newton
  • Stone Cross
  • Yew Tree
  • Greets Green
  • Hateley Heath
  • Wednesbury
    • Friar Park
    • Woods Estate
    • Mesty Croft
    • Wood Green
    • Old Park
    • Church Hill
    • Brunswick
    • Myvod

Local places of interest

• The Public, West Bromwich
• Sandwell Aquatics Centre
• Sandwell Priory
• Sandwell Valley
• Sandwell Valley Country Park
• RSPB Sandwell Valley
• Sheepwash Urban Park
• The Hawthorns
• Sandwell General Hospital
• Sandwell College
• Holly Lodge High School
• Warley Woods

Twin towns and cities

Sandwell is twinned with:{{cite web |url = https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/site/scripts/google_results.php?q=twin+town |archive-url = https://archive.today/20160803183606/https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/site/scripts/google_results.php?q=twin+town |url-status = dead |archive-date = 3 August 2016 |title = Twin town |website = Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date = 12 June 2016

• Le Blanc Mesnil, France
• Amritsar, India
• Zalau, Romania

References

References

1. "Sandwell Local Authority".
2. "Where is Sandwell?". Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.
3. "Deprivation - Sandwell in a West Midlands Context". Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.
4. "Sandwell in Brief". Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.
5. "Warley CB through time". Vision of Britain.
6. "West Bromwich MB/CB through time". Vision of Britain.
7. (2006). "Rowley Regis : a history". Phillimore.
8. [http://www.researchsandwell.org.uk/research/downloads/Viewpoint_10_Results_final_version.pdf Sandwell View Point, issue no.10]
9. "Car cruising | Sandwell Council".
10. "Councillors – Sandwell Council". Sandwell MBC.
11. (7 May 2010). "Historic Tory win in Halesowen and Rowley Regis". Halesowen News.
12. "Abbey (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
13. "Blackheath (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
14. "Bristnall (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
15. "Charlemont with Grove Vale (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
16. "Cradley Heath and Old Hill (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
17. "Friar Park (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
18. "Great Barr with Yew Tree (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
19. "Great Bridge (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
20. "Greets Green and Lyng (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
21. "Hateley Heath (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
22. "Langley (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
23. "Newton (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
24. "Oldbury (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
25. "Old Warley (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
26. "Princes End (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
27. "Rowley (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
28. (August 2025). "Smethwick (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
29. "Soho and Victoria (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
30. "St Pauls (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
31. "Tipton Green (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
32. "Tividale (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
33. "Wednesbury North (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
34. "Wednesbury South (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
35. "West Bromwich Central (Ward) – Population Density". ONS.
36. (17 April 2013). "Sandwell College guide". The Telegraph.
37. In 2004, a debt-ridden Sandwell College was subject to a police investigation.[http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/2004/03/03/fraud-row-college-to-axe-100-jobs-50002-14009871 Fraud row college to axe 100 jobs]
38. (1996). "Ethnicity in the 1991 census: Vol 3 - Social geography and ethnicity in Britain, geographical spread, spatial concentration and internal migration". London : HMSO.
39. (1996). "Ethnicity in the 1991 census: Vol 3 - Social geography and ethnicity in Britain, geographical spread, spatial concentration and internal migration". London : HMSO.
40. "TS021 - Ethnic group - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics".
41. (1 May 2004). "Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter".
42. "Black Country Radio".
43. "Newspapers".
44. "Home".

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