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The local authorityCouncil · metropolitan_borough · England · 1 of 36 councils (metropolitan_borough)

Sandwell.

Reform UK-controlled metropolitan_borough. £434m net revenue. 24 wards across 0 parliamentary constituencies.

Typemetropolitan_borough
Seats72 councillors · 24 wards
Last election7 May 2026
Websitesandwell.gov.uk ↗
Net revenue · 2025-26
£434m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,133
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
41/72
Reform UK 57%
Westminster
0
constituencies overlap
Dispatch
3 Jun 2026

Reform UK chamber, opposed area.

Sandwell is a metropolitan_borough controlled by Reform UK (41 of 72 seats). Net revenue is £434m for 2025-26. It covers 24 wards spanning 0 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.72 seats · last contested 7 May 2026

Who sits in the chamber.

Ref 41Lab 28Green 2Ind 1

Reform UK 57% · last contested 7 May 2026

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Hilary Jane GrandeyGrnBearwood2026
Jennifer HemingwayLabBearwood2026
John Ashley TipperGrnBearwood2026
Dave WilliamsRefBlackheath2026
Michael Andrew CooperRefBlackheath2026
Mona KhuranaRefBlackheath2026
Amolak Singh DhariwalLabBristnall2026
Jonathan James FoxRefBristnall2026
Liane WinsperRefBristnall2026
Bob JonesRefCharlemont & Grove Vale2026
Rachael Michelle MitchellRefCharlemont & Grove Vale2026
Ray NockRefCharlemont & Grove Vale2026
Showing 12 of 72·All 72 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

33%
Council tax
£144.5m · median 44%
49%
Central grants
£211.8m · median 41%
18%
Business rates
£77.2m · median 14%

This is a grant-heavy councils (metropolitan_borough): 33% from council tax vs the cohort median of 44%.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£1,824
County / upper-tier£0
Police£230
Fire & rescue£80
GLA precept£0
Total Band-D£2,133

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.10 buckets · vs 35 other councils (metropolitan_borough)

How does Sandwell split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (metropolitan_borough)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Education42.6% of net spend · cohort median 41%
10 of 35+5% vs median
Adult Social Care22.8% of net spend · cohort median 26%
30 of 35-12% vs median
Children's Services16.0% of net spend · cohort median 15%
12 of 35+6% vs median
Waste & Recycling5.5% of net spend · cohort median 4%
8 of 35+34% vs median
Public Health4.5% of net spend · cohort median 4%
14 of 35+4% vs median
Corporate & Central3.3% of net spend · cohort median 3%
16 of 35+7% vs median
Planning & Economic Development2.1% of net spend · cohort median 2%
8 of 35+34% vs median
Culture & Leisure1.6% of net spend · cohort median 2%
31 of 35-32% vs median
Highways & Transport1.0% of net spend · cohort median 2%
25 of 35-35% vs median
Housing & Homelessness0.7% of net spend · cohort median 2%
34 of 35-62% vs median
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 04Top suppliers.19,086 payments · £168.1m gross · 3 Dec 2025 – 26 Feb 2026

Every invoice over £500, published under the Local Government Transparency Code. Best-effort, not statutory — counts and totals net negatives (refunds/reversals).

Top by total — last 180 days

SupplierPaidSharePmts
SANDWELL CHILDREN'S TRUST£25.79m15.3%8
SERCO LIMITED£7.47m4.4%53
HIGGS LLP£4.91m2.9%27
JOHN A BATES (CONTRACTORS) LTD£3.14m1.9%98
SANDWELL COMMUNITY CARING TRUST (ASC)£3.08m1.8%299
RIVERSIDE GROUP£2.76m1.6%3
SANDWELL COLLEGE£2.36m1.4%1
PHOENIX SOFTWARE LTD£2.28m1.4%10
ACORN CARE AND EDUCATION LIMITED£2.17m1.3%156
SANDWELL FUTURES LTD£2.17m1.3%54

By service area · top supplier

ServiceTop supplierPaid
Childrens ServicesSANDWELL CHILDREN'S TRUST£25.49m
Waste And RecyclingSERCO LIMITED£5.02m
Adult Social CareSANDWELL COMMUNITY CARING TRUST (ASC)£3.08m
Housing And HomelessnessHIGGS LLP£3.02m
Planning And EconomicSANDWELL COLLEGE£2.36m
Corporate And CentralPHOENIX SOFTWARE LTD£2.28m
EducationACORN CARE AND EDUCATION LIMITED£1.87m
Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 35 other councils (metropolitan_borough)
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
19,086 payments · 3 Dec 2025 – 26 Feb 2026
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level