Leader of Sandwell Council, Councillor Kerrie Carmichael said: “We’re really proud of the improvements we’ve made in recent years, and it’s fantastic to be shortlisted for this prestigious award.

“We’re delighted that our adult social care services have just been rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission. This follows Ofsted judging children’s services in Sandwell as ‘Good’ last year through our partnership with Sandwell Children’s Trust. We are proud to be ranked best in the West Midlands and fourth in the country for the condition of our roads, and of the quality of our leisure services which can be seen in the ‘Very Good’ and ‘Excellent’ ratings our partner Kore Sandwell have received from the leisure accreditor, Quest.”

“We are a caring council that gets things done, and the improvements we’ve made have happened because we are completely focused on getting things right for our residents – delivering high-quality services that are easy to use and working for the people who need them.

“We are also working hard to regenerate our high streets, build the new homes our borough needs and have recently recruited 100 apprentices as part of our commitment to creating the opportunities that give our young people the best chances in life.

“This is just the start, and we are committed to making real changes which will benefit our residents and our borough for generations to come.

“We know there’s more to do to achieve this, and it’s great that our progress so far has been recognised by being shortlisted for this award.”

The LGC Awards are the biggest celebration of excellence in local government, run by the Local Government Chronicle.

The Most Improved Council category recognises authorities that have successfully led major organisational change or reform to deliver genuine improvement.

Judging will take place this spring with the results announced on 10 June 2026.

The full shortlist can be found at: awards.lgcplus.com