Council tax rise agreed for Sandwell - here's how much residents will see their bills rise by

The average council tax bill in Sandwell is set to rise by £111 after a near five percent increase was backed by councillors.

Sandwell Council agreed its 2026/7 budget at a meeting on Tuesday (February 24) which also includes increasing spending on roads, parks and new CCTV to combat fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

The agreed 4.99% increase in council tax would see the average band D bill rise by £111 from April next year – including a £5 increase in the precept for West Midlands Fire Service and a further £15 uplift for West Midlands Police.

The bills for band A and band B homes – which covers around three quarters of Sandwell households – would rise by around £74 and £86 respectively.

Cllr Paul Moore, the Labour-run council’s cabinet member for finance, said the authority would be investing millions in the “things that mattered most to residents” including £1.5m to maintain and repair roads, potholes and pavements and an extra £1.3m to help combat snow, ice and flooding during cold winter months.

Cllr Moore added the council would install more than 60 new CCTV cameras to help tackle fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour as well as almost doubling funding – totalling nearly £1m – for a ‘rapid response team’ that would track down those dumping rubbish across the borough. Funding to combat anti-social behaviour would also double and a further £1m would be invested to improve road safety including

The cabinet member for finance also told councillors on Tuesday that £1m would be spent to improve Sandwell’s play areas including Jubilee Park in Tipton, Friar Park in Wednesbury, Victoria Park in Smethwick and Redwood Road, Yew Tree, West Bromwich.

As many as 34 new ‘pop-up’ recycling centres would also open to help reduce waste sent to landfill.

'This is a budget that gets things done'

Cllr Paul Moore said: “This is a budget that gets things done.

“This is a budget that will make Sandwell a cleaner, greener and safer place to live – a great place for our children and young people to grow up with a thriving economy, providing opportunities for growth, good jobs and prosperity for everyone.”

The council will also make more than £8m worth of cuts and savings and use £2m from its reserves.

Last year’s move to fortnightly bin collections, which sees general waste and recycling collected on alternative weeks instead of weekly, would save £2.5m in 2026/27, the council said.

A rise in dozens of the council’s fees and charges are expected to raise an extra £238,000 a year.

Cllr Amrita Dunn, leader of the council’s Conservatives, criticised the 4.99% rise in council tax saying it was the fourth consecutive year it had increased by the maximum amount.

“We are told this council is in a strong financial position,” she said at the full council meeting on Tuesday. “If that is true, why is the answer a maximum rise? I don’t understand.”

The council’s budget was approved by 56 votes to three with all present Labour and independent councillors voting in favour and three Conservative councillors voting against the proposals.