Council’s boundaries redrawn in biggest shake-up for 20 years

Sandwell Council’s ward boundary map is currently being reshaped for the first time since 2004.

The plans include new Hill Top and Ocker Hill and Bearwood wards while Wednesbury South would be scrapped and shared with neighbouring wards.

All wards would face changes, if the council’s plans are accepted, with boundary changes and some renamed.

A meeting will take place at Sandwell Council House in Oldbury on September 17, and councillors will be asked to agree on a position to submit to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) as part of the review.

The number of wards (24) and number of councillors (72) on Sandwell Council would both remain the same despite the review.

Each ward would be represented by three councillors and represent between 10 and 11,000 people.

The compulsory review is taking place to reflect population changes since the last review in 2004 as well as future growth.

Sandwell’s population will have increased by at least a fifth by the time the changes would come into place in 2030, a council report said.

Figures show the borough’s population was 289,000 in 2004, when the last review was carried out, and would rise to at least 361,000 in the next six years.

The proposals will be discussed by the LGBCE in January next year before the final plans go before the public throughout the start of 2025.

A final recommendation is expected to be made in July before becoming law throughout the summer.

The new wards would then be first used in the all-out elections in May 2026 where all 72 seats will be up for grabs.

The proposed changes for each of Sandwell’s six towns:

Oldbury

The current Old Warley ward would be expanded to include parts of the Abbey, Bristnall and Langley wards.

The existing Oldbury ward would be reshaped and include parts of the St Paul’s ward.

Tividale would be formed using parts of the current ward plus parts of the Oldbury ward.

Langley would be comprised of part of the existing ward and parts of Bristnall.

Rowley Regis

Blackheath would be widened to include parts of the current Langley, Cradley Heath and Old Hill, and Rowley wards.

Cradley Heath and Old Hill would be reshaped, Rowley would be formed using parts of the current Rowley ward as well as sections of the existing Tividale ward.

Smethwick

Two new wards would be created including Bearwood, which would be made up of parts of the current Abbey, Bristnall and Soho and Victoria wards.

The existing Bristnall ward would be reshaped to include parts of the current Smethwick and St Paul’s wards.

Soho and Victoria and St Paul’s would both change shape.

Smethwick would be formed by parts of the current Smethwick ward as well as parts of Bristnall and Soho and Victoria.

Tipton

The existing Great Bridge ward would be expanded to include parts of the Greets Green and Lyng ward. Greets Green and Lyng would also be reshaped.

The two Princes End and Tipton Green wards would be reshaped with parts of the wards exchanged.

Another new ward, Hill Top and Ocker Hill, would comprise parts of the current Wednesbury South, Greets Green and Lyng and West Bromwich Central wards.

Wednesbury

The existing Wednesbury North ward would remain, and with added parts of the neighbouring Wednesbury South ward would form a new Wednesbury ward. Wednesbury South would be cut up to help form the new Hill Top and Ocker Hill ward.

Friar Park would remain the same and be joined by parts of the Hateley Heath ward.

West Bromwich

The current West Bromwich Central ward would be divided with parts moving to the expanded Newton ward.

The changes would create a new Newton and Valley ward. Hateley Heath would be reshaped and also include parts of West Bromwich Central.

Charlemont and Grove Vale ward would be made bigger to include parts of the Hateley Heath ward.

The existing Great Barr and Yew Tree ward would be renamed Great Barr, Tamebridge and Yew Tree.