Sandwell
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{| border=1 cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width=300 style=margin-left:10px
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!colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell
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|colspan=2 align=center|[[Image:EnglandSandwell.png|Sandwell]]
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!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Geography
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|width="45%"|Status:||[[Metropolitan borough]]
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|[[Regions of England|Region]]:||[[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]]
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|Ceremonial County:||[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
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|[[Historic counties of England|Historic county]]:||[[Staffordshire]], [[Worcestershire]]
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|[[Surface area|Area]]:<br>- Total||[[List of English districts by area|Ranked 258th]]<br>85.58 [[square kilometre|km²]]
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|Admin. HQ:||[[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]]
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|[[ONS coding system|ONS code]]:||00CS
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!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Demographics
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|[[Population]]:<br>- Total ({{English statistics year}})<br>- [[Density]]||[[List of English districts by population|Ranked {{English district rank|ONS=00CS}}]]<br>{{English district population|ONS=00CS}}<br>{{English district density|ONS=00CS}} / km²
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|Ethnicity:||77.8% White<br>14.8% S.Asian<br>4.2% Black British,<br>2.4% Mixed Race<ref>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276803&c=sandwell&d=13&e=13&g=376276&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1206388933140&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1812 National Statistics: Sandwell]</ref>
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!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Politics
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|colspan=2 align=center|Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council <br>http://www.smbc.sandwell.gov.uk/
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|[[Local government in England#Councils and councillors|Leadership]]:||Leader & Cabinet
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|Executive:||{{EnglishDistrictControl|ONS=00CS}}
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|[[MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005|MPs]]:||[[Adrian Bailey]], [[Sylvia Heal]], [[John Spellar]], [[Tom Watson (politician)|Tom Watson]]
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'''Sandwell''' is a [[metropolitan borough]] in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] of [[England]]. It is made up of the [[Black Country]] towns of [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]], [[Rowley Regis]], [[Smethwick]], [[Tipton]], [[Wednesbury]] and [[West Bromwich]].
Sandwell borders the [[Birmingham|City of Birmingham]] to the east, the [[Metropolitan Borough of Dudley]] to the south and west, the [[Metropolitan Borough of Walsall]] to the north, and the [[Wolverhampton|City of Wolverhampton]] to the north-west.
==History of the Borough==
The borough was formed on [[1 April]] [[1974]] as a merger of the [[county borough]]s of [[County Borough of Warley|Warley]] (associated with [[Worcestershire]]) and [[West Bromwich]] (associated with [[Staffordshire]]). Warley itself was a recent creation, having been formed in 1966 by a merger of the Staffordshire [[county borough]] of [[Smethwick]] with the [[Worcestershire]] town of Oldbury (itself part of an [[exclave]] of [[Shropshire]] until the [[Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844]]) and Rowley Regis(Staffs).
In 1986 the [[West Midlands County Council]] was abolished and Sandwell effectively became a [[unitary authority]]. Sandwell is divided into 24 [[ward (politics)|Wards]] and is represented by 72 ward [[councillor]]s.
West Bromwich is the largest town in Sandwell, however the council headquarters are based in Oldbury.
The borough was named after Sandwell Priory, the ruins of which are in [[Sandwell Valley]]. The local council has considered changing its name in the past, as many people outside of the West Midlands are confused as to where it is located, and in June 2002 a survey of borough residents was carried out. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed favoured retaining the name Sandwell.<ref>[http://www.laws.sandwell.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/download/asset/?asset_id=37142 Sandwell View Point, issue no.5]</ref>
[[Sandwell College]], which has a campus in West Bromwich, Oldbury and Smethwick, was opened in September 1986 following the merger of [[Warley College]] and [[West Bromwich College]].
[[Image:RutlandRoadSignSmethwick.jpg|thumb|right|Street nameplate on Rutland Road, [[Smethwick]] in April 2007, showing painted out "County Borough" lettering.]]
==Localities==
Localities in the borough include:
*[[Albion Estate]]
*[[Bearwood, West Midlands|Bearwood]], [[Blackheath, West Midlands|Blackheath]], [[Brandhall]]
*[[Cape Hill]], [[Cradley Heath]]
*[[Dudley Port]]
*[[Charlemont and Grove Vale]], [[Guns Village]]
*[[Hamstead, West Midlands|Hamstead]], [[Hill Top]], [[Horseley Heath]]
*[[Great Barr]]
*[[Langley Green, Sandwell|Langley Green]], [[Londonderry, West Midlands|Londonderry]]
*[[Oakham, West Midlands|Oakham]], [[Ocker Hill]], [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]], [[Old Hill]]
*[[Princes End]]
*[[Rood End]], [[Rowley Regis]]
*[[Sandwell, West Midlands|Sandwell]], [[Smethwick]], [[Summer Hill, West Midlands|Summer Hill]]
*The Woods, [[Tipton]], [[Tividale]]
*[[Uplands, West Midlands|Uplands]]
*[[Warley, West Midlands|Warley]], [[Wednesbury]], [[West Bromwich]]
*[[Yew Tree, West Bromwich|Yew Tree]]
==Other places==
*[[Sandwell Priory]]
*[[Sandwell Valley]]
*[[Sandwell Valley Country Park]]
*[[RSPB Sandwell Valley]]
*[[Sheepwash Urban Park]]
*[[West Bromwich Albion]]
*[[Sandwell General Hospital]]
*[[Black Patch Park]]
==In popular culture==
Local football team [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] are referred to as ''Sandwell Town'' by the rivals of several local teams, most notably [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]. Wolves fans have been known to sing a song called ''Sandwell Town are going down'' which is based on the tune of ''[[London Bridge Is Falling Down]]''.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.sandwell.gov.uk Sandwell MBC]
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