Sandwell Labour

12/06/2026

Reform Councillor Bob Jones, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, 'jokes' he won't meet residents in Charlemont with Grove Vale until he has a stab vest. What a disgrace.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/new-black-country-reform-councillor-jokes-he-will-hold-surgeries-when-stab-vest-arrives-8693167?fbclid=Iwb21leASZKCZjbGNrBJkoBGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHhMt8ef7xICyV3imurvnJKrSLJ1DBfK3VFX4HSdKuHd0qE8Nl1F34IHHTS6t_aem_Z-sPL5lYXvReo0oFA1m8uA

A new Reform councillor joked he would start holding public surgeries when his stab proof vest had arrived

11/06/2026

🔍 Reform have decided there'll be no scrutiny meetings on Sandwell Council now they're in charge until the autumn! 6 months and no meetings.

❌️ Scrutiny doesn't just stop because there's been a change of administration. Residents have a right to be heard and they elect Councillors to make decisions, scrutinise and ask questions to get the best for Sandwell.

👀 The Leader of the Council, Ray Nock, says his priority is "clear and transparent decision making and effective governance". It's not a good way to go about it.

BBC News - Sandwell Council opposition parties criticise scrutiny suspension - BBC News

Green, Labour and Independent councillors share their dismay at council leaders Reform pausing the meetings.

10/06/2026

🏆 Sandwell has won the Most Improved Council at the Local Government Chronicle Awards. Thanks to former Leader Kerrie Carmichael, councillors, the chief executive, leadership team and all staff on this amazing achievement 👏

10/06/2026

Great to see Sandwell win the Local Government Chronicle 'campaign of the year' award for the 'You Ok, Mate?' Men’s Mental Health campaign.

Thanks to Councillor Jackie Taylor, Councillor Luke Cotterill and council officers for all of their hard work on the campaign.

29/05/2026

The new Reform Deputy Mayor of Sandwell Council was elected this week.

Councillor Williams, though, was absent from the meeting. It meant he couldn't sign his declaration of office.

We did ask where he was and if he was okay but there was complete silence 👀

One councillor said: 'It seems very, very unusual to not have the candidate for this particular position, given the level of responsibility, not present in the room'

27/05/2026

It's day one of Reform led Sandwell Council and already they have a councillor under formal investigation over an alleged Islamophobic post 👇

Jonathan James Fox was elected to Sandwell Council at the local elections on 7 May.

24/05/2026

Sandwell Labour on tour - Councillors, our MP Gurinder Singh Josan for Smethwick and members visited Makerfield to campaign for Andy Burnham today. There was great support for Andy in the up coming by-election. We were glad to lend a hand 👐

18/05/2026

It’s been a bruising few weeks for Sandwell Labour, but we are absolutely committed to holding the new Reform Council to account and standing up for our communities.

Tonight at our Sandwell Labour Group AGM, we have selected Cllr Paul Moore (Hateley Heath) to become the new Leader of the Labour Group and Cllr Maria Crompton (Tividale) to become the new Deputy Leader of the Labour Group.

We look forward to holding Reform to account and continuing to work for all the residents of Sandwell!

07/05/2026