I was born in Sandwell, and have lived here all my life, so it is an honour and a privilege to have been elected the Leader of the Council.

I’ll be using this blog to share more about who I am, what matters to me, and the work we are doing to make Sandwell a better place for everyone.

My Commitment to Safer, Stronger High Streets

One of my priorities is straightforward: making sure our residents feel safe, proud of where they live, and confident that the council will take action when problems arise.

That’s why I wanted my first blog to focus on the recent enforcement action in Cradley Heath.

Last week, Sandwell Council worked alongside West Midlands Police to secure a Closure Order on a premises in Cradley Heath following an extensive eight-month intelligence-led investigation. The action was taken in response to concerns raised by local residents and businesses, and forms part of our wider commitment to tackling criminal and illegal activity across the borough.

Our high streets should be places where everyone can feel safe to shop, meet friends, and support local businesses. They are at the heart of our communities. When illegal activity takes hold, it affects everyone – residents, visitors and the many hardworking businesses that play by the rules every day. Read more in our press release.

We know this is about more than one shop – which is why we followed up this week by securing Closure Orders on two more premises along the High Street. Read more in our press release.

For now, the law means the maximum length for a Closure Order is three months, so we are also backing plans to give councils more powers to extend this to twelve months. In the meantime, we’re going to continue to use every power available to the council to tackle this issue – we know there is more to do in Cradley Heath and across Sandwell. Watch this space!

 

Knife crime

Just as I was setting out from the Council House in Oldbury to Cradley Heath High Street for the first Trading Standards operation, there was a tragic incident as we came across the immediate aftermath of a stabbing involving a 19-year-old young man.

It was a shocking and sobering scene that none of us expected to witness. I want to pay tribute to those who immediately came to this young man’s aid, including Councillor Teli Zefi, and a number of council officers for their actions that day. Alongside our emergency responders from the Police and Air Ambulance, they showed real courage and compassion in difficult circumstances, and my thoughts remain with the young man, his family and friends.

Three people have now been charged in relation to this incident, and if you know anything please report it to the Police.

Seeing an incident like this first-hand reinforces why councils, the police and communities must work together to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. No family should have to go through the trauma that violent crime causes. No disagreement should end in somebody reaching for a knife.

One incident like this is one too many, but knife crime has fallen in Sandwell by 26% and there has been a 45% reduction in serious youth violence and knife enabled crime in the last eighteen months, which is a testament to the council’s work in partnership with the Police.

Witnessing the aftermath of this incident has only strengthened my determination that we must take firm action wherever criminality is affecting our communities.

That means continuing our work to tackle serious violence, and also taking tough action wherever we discover criminality.

The trading standards-led operations in Cradley Heath send a clear message that Sandwell Council will not tolerate criminal behaviour on our high streets. Where there is evidence of wrongdoing, we will take firm action and use the powers available to us to protect residents and businesses.

We also know enforcement alone is not the answer. We must continue working with young people, schools, families and community organisations to create opportunities and positive career paths, and steer people away from crime before lives are damaged or lost.

This first blog is just the start of that conversation. In future posts, I’ll be sharing more about my priorities for Sandwell, the people and places that make our borough special, and the work taking place every day to improve opportunities, services, and quality of life for our residents.

Cllr Ray Nock,

Leader of Sandwell Council