Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after 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 includes part of Great Barr, Birmingham.
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 2025, Sandwell was ranked the ninth most income deprived local authority district in England.
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 square kilometres (33 sq mi). At the 2011 census, it had a population of 309,000.
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History and culture
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. The injunction has since been extended, and will remain in force in Sandwell and other areas of the West Midlands county until at least March 2027.
Economy
According to data from the Office of National Statistics, gross disposable household income (GDHI) per head in Sandwell in 2023 was £16,562, the second lowest of any local authority district in the United Kingdom, ahead of only Leicester. Gross disposable household income is a measure of how much money individuals can spend or save after taxes, social benefits, and other income distributions. Similarly, in 2025, Sandwell was ranked as the ninth most income deprived local authority district in England, with 37.4% of its population living in income deprived households.
Governance
There is one main tier of local government covering Sandwell, being Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. The council is based at the Council House on Freeth Street in Oldbury, which was purpose-built for the council in 1989. The council is a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority, led by the directly elected Mayor of the West Midlands.
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. In 2004, a debt-ridden Sandwell College was subject to a police investigation.
Demography
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)
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:
Le Blanc-Mesnil, France
Vijayawada, India
Walvis Bay, Namibia