Issues and SWOT

strength

Keep the bike park welcoming to beginners

Sandwell Valley has a completed cycle facility for different abilities.

Proposed response: Publish access, route difficulty and equipment requirements.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £953 a month (August 2026) in Sandwell council area. This is £506 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.3% in Friar Park & Stone Cross to 31.8% in Bearwood — a gap of 21.4 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

A housing allocation still needs a deliverable site

Queen’s Square involves several land interests and a development-partner process.

Proposed response: Show what land and permissions are secured.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6.6% of people reported bad or very bad health in Sandwell council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 5.1% in Soho & Victoria to 7.9% in Friar Park & Stone Cross — a gap of 2.8 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Let neighbourhood priorities shape the funded projects

Smethwick’s plan has programme approval.

Proposed response: Publish the first project choices and reasons.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

14.5% of people in Sandwell council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 6.7% in Soho & Victoria to 19.6% in Blackheath — a gap of 12.9 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

22.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Sandwell council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 21.7% in Bearwood to 34.2% in Smethwick — a gap of 12.4 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Sandwell council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 19.4% in Newton & Valley to 33.2% in Greets Green & Lyng — a gap of 13.9 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Do not rely on long-term housing for immediate relief

Queen’s Square is a long-term proposal with delivery dependencies.

Proposed response: Separate near-term completions from distant capacity.

Evidence