Month: September 2025

In a major boost for housing in the region, Walsall Council and whg (Walsall Housing Group) have this week signed a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) aimed at accelerating the delivery of affordable homes across the borough. 

Under this agreement, the planning process for residential developments will be streamlined, helping to remove bottlenecks that often delay construction. Already, whg has identified over 500 disused garage sites which could be repurposed into new housing units.  Ten small sites have reportedly begun using the faster planning pathway.

John Bedford, whg’s Assistant Director of Special Projects, said:

“The PPA demonstrates the trust the council has in our ability to deliver well-designed and high-performing homes, while also providing a robust framework that will accelerate our projects.” 

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader of Walsall Council, added that the partnership marks “a great step forward … to deliver more quality local homes for local people.” 

This deal comes amid mounting pressure on councils nationwide to address housing shortages and affordability — and represents a significant local effort to make use of underutilised land. 

Walsall is stepping into the future of waste management with the completion of its brand-new £32 million Household Waste Recycling Centre and Waste Transfer Station in Aldridge. 

The new facility is designed to reduce the volume of waste going to landfill by improving recycling rates and sorting capacity. It features 19 bays, each with two skips, and has the capacity to manage up to 40,000 tonnes of waste a year. A reuse shop and workshop area will also operate on site, refurbishing items for resale and keeping usable goods out of the waste stream.

Since construction wrapped up, everything is now set to open to the public later in 2025.

Beyond infrastructure, the project has already generated measurable social value:

• The construction phase alone contributed £753,000 in social value.

• Local employment was prioritised, with 69% of the workforce hired from within a 20-mile radius.

• 19 apprentices and 5 graduates were recruited to gain real hands-on experience.

• Community engagement included school visits, donations of winter essentials to Walsall Outreach, and support for Acorns Children’s Hospice via metal recycling initiatives.

• The build also emphasised sustainability: over 354 tonnes of carbon saved through materials choices and energy efficiency, and 98% of construction waste diverted from landfill.

From the construction side, Morgan Sindall Construction emphasised how sustainability and community were built in from day one:

“It’s an incredible achievement … sustainability is core to everything we do, so it makes us proud to deliver a project that will actively contribute to landfill diversion, increased recycling rates, and an overall cleaner borough for Walsall’s residents. Through our commitment to delivering social value … we’ve built a lasting connection with the local community.”

From the council’s perspective, Walsall Council’s Place & Environment leadership highlighted how crucial the facility is:

“This project is a huge development for Walsall. What has been delivered here is truly a state-of-the-art facility … working with Morgan Sindall has been seamless throughout. It’s been fabulous watching the plans come into reality.”

Walsall Council is committing £4.4 million over the next four years to boost enforcement across the borough, targeting fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour, environmental crime and visible safety for residents.

The funding will deliver:

• More visible patrols and stronger enforcement action

• Expansion of CCTV coverage

• Recruitment of five additional Community Protection Enforcement Officers

• A new intelligence post to improve information sharing between the public, partners and the council

• Increased legal resources to take offenders to court

• Rapid response “enforcement fighting fund” to tackle emerging issues

• Enhanced partnership work with police and community groups

• Scaling of the “Operation Phoenix” visible security model borough-wide

• Youth and community safety projects

Council Leader Mike Bird said:

“Enforcement action will ramp up in this borough. I am sick of fly-tipping and other aspects of anti-social behaviour in Walsall, and this investment proves we are not prepared to put up with it any longer.
It is my priority to ensure our residents here in Walsall feel safe in the place we call home. Safe and attractive streets are vital for residents, businesses and investment.”

Councillor Adam Hicken, responsible for enforcement, added:

“Fly-tipping is the scourge of our borough and anti-social behaviour negatively impacts the quality of our communities. This major investment sends a clear message — we will not tolerate those who blight our streets. By increasing visible patrols, expanding CCTV and giving our teams the tools and resources they need, we will take firm action to keep Walsall safe and clean.”

This initiative builds on the council’s existing efforts, which include 16,000 annual interventions involving inspections, patrols, fixed penalty notices, warnings and prosecutions.

A Walsall-based bakery has taken a big step forward thanks to a six-figure boost from local business support. Polish Bakery Mazowsze Ltd has recently installed new production equipment, aided by a £70,000 UKSPF “SME Competitiveness” grant.

The grant helped the bakery invest in a large batch processor designed to produce sourdough, improving its capability and efficiency. It also supports the rollout of digital batch traceability technology, a move designed to allow them to meet increasing standards and potentially supply major supermarket chains.

Mazowsze’s factory is located near Junction 10 of the M6 motorway in Walsall.

The bakery, founded in 2006, is family-run and currently employs nearly 70 people. It delivers to more than 300 outlets nationwide, and the directors say they hope this investment will accelerate access to new markets.

Deputy Leader of Walsall Council, Adrian Andrew, toured the facility and expressed his support:

“It’s fantastic to see another brilliant Walsall-based business expanding their operations and thriving with help from our business growth team.

Their success helps to boost the Walsall economy and create jobs for local people. It was a pleasure to visit the factory and meet the owners … I hope we can continue to support them to grow their operations in Walsall.”

Joanna Podolak, co-owner of Mazowsze (with her brother Krzysztof), also spoke on the impact:

“I’d like to thank Walsall Council’s business growth team for their support. This investment will unlock our growth into new markets, much sooner than we could have managed it without support. We’re grateful for the help, and what it means for our future.”

This October, Walsall Council is inviting residents to join “Quit Together” — a community-wide effort to support quitting smoking through the full range of local stop-smoking aids. 

New Options for Quitting — More Support, More Choice

Be Well Walsall, the wellbeing service commissioned by Walsall Council’s Public Health team, is offering Varenicline (a prescription medication that helps reduce cravings and eases withdrawal symptoms) to eligible residents.

This joins existing aids including regulated vapes, patches, and gum (nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT) — all part of Walsall’s “first choice” stop-smoking toolkit. These supports are paired with one-to-one coaching and tailored advice, and are free for 8 to 12 weeks to eligible users.

Walsall’s Stop Smoking service has seen strong uptake this year. In April 2025, the number of residents accessing the service jumped by 485 % compared to April 2024. Of those supported, 68% achieved a quit at four weeks, and more than half stayed smoke-free after eight weeks — a success rate above the national average.

Meanwhile, the recently launched Walsall Manor Emergency Department (ED) Smoking Cessation Service has already referred its 200th patient to local quitting support services including Be Well Walsall and the digital “Quit with Bella” programme.

Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Health and Wellbeing at Walsall Council, said:

“Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. With the right support, it is achievable. We’re proud to offer all first choice stop smoking aids through Be Well Walsall including a mix of nicotine replacement products, regulated vapes and access to Varenicline.

We are also seeing increasing numbers of referrals to our service, which reflects the strength of our targeted outreach and the growing impact of working with partner organisations across Walsall.

This Stoptober, I encourage you to take that first step, whether it is for yourself or someone you care about. Let’s quit smoking together.”

Owain Johns, Regional Operations Manager for Be Well Walsall (Maximus UK) added:

“Stoptober is a brilliant opportunity for people to take that first step towards quitting smoking. Our health and wellbeing coaches offer non-judgemental, personalised support and are ready to help people take action while their motivation is high. We focus on getting people into the service quickly, with coaches who understand the journey and guide them through it with care and confidence. As an ex-smoker myself, I understand how important it is to get the right support at the right time. With lived experience at the core of our team, we know what works, and we’re here to help.”

How You Can Join & Get Help

• Visit the Be Well Walsall stop smoking service website or call 01922 444044 to sign up; a health and wellbeing coach will then guide you through the process.

• You can also use Quit with Bella, a fully funded digital support programme (including 12 weeks of NRT or vapes) via the Solutions 4 Health online portal.

• Specialist services are also available via Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Tobacco Dependency Service, which supports hospital inpatients and visitors to Walsall Manor Hospital’s Emergency Department.

• Pregnant women and their partners can get behavioural support and nicotine replacement through the Walsall Health in Pregnancy Service (call 01922 270477).