Labour MP Jess Phillips says she’s “not surprised” by a shocking new opinion poll showing the Liberal Democrats are the most popular political party. A survey by YouGov for The Times found 24% of voters say they back the Lib Dems, with 22% supporting Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and…

Campaigners have welcomed news that the council is to take a tighter grip on planning policy in one of Solihull’s oldest suburbs. In future, residents in part of Olton’s conservation area will need to get permission to make more minor changes to their properties. The new approach follows concerns…

Elected members and candidates for Sandwell Council should be made to declare past crimes – a councillor has demanded. Cllr Caroline White says local politicians should undergo criminal disclosure checks and any serious convictions should be made public. The  Cradley Heath and Old Hill ward member has said it…

Plans to build 27 new council houses are set to be approved by council bosses next week. Sandwell’s cabinet is being asked to approve the  scheme for the homes on Reservoir Road, Rowley. If passed, building work will begin in  October 2019 and is hoped to be completed by…

Work to transform Wolverhampton’s iconic music venue could finally get underway – if planners given the green light. The City of Wolverhampton has submitted a planning application for the huge overhaul of the Civic and Wulfrun Halls in North Street. The much-delayed scheme will see a major refurbishment and…

Delighted councillors representing a crime-ridden Walsall estate have welcomed an extension of powers designed to tackle offenders. Walsall Council has extended a public spaces protection order (PSPO) covering Beechdale for a further three years until May 2022. The order has been in place since 2016 and was aimed at…

Labour mayor hopeful Pete Lowe has vowed to cut the price of public transport in the West Midlands if he wins power. He said his plans include “reducing the cost of transport for working families, making sure that we reform fares across the region so that it doesn’t break the…

The West Midlands could set up its own energy company under plans published today by Labour politician Liam Byrne. He wants a publicly-owned energy firm to help provide solar panels and expand plants which turn waste into energy. Mr Byrne, who hopes to become Labour’s candidate for West Midlands…

The proposed removal of the Perry Barr flyover would be the ‘stupidest’ thing the council has ever done, according to a local councillor. Speaking following the announcement of a public consultation over proposed infrastructure ‘improvements’ in the area, local councillor Jon Hunt (Lib Dem) labelled the council as ‘utterly…

The first steps towards a major industrial development near Dudley have been halted only days after a fatal car crash. Councillors rejected an application for a new access route from Dreadnought Road onto the site of  the proposed warehouse project in Pensnett – after residents voiced fears over traffic…