£100,000 boost for Sandwell high streets

A £100,000 cash injection has been awarded to Sandwell in a bid to revive high streets in the borough's six towns.

Markets could be cleaned up, floral displays planted or street entertainment held to improve town centres and bosses are confident that the cash will bring in shoppers.

West Bromwich High Street in particular has been hit recently with the closure of WH Smith, which shut last month after 35 years in the town, while the Post Office closed its doors earlier this month.

The council has been successful in receiving the cash from the Government's High Street Renewal Fund from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The award comes after West Bromwich and Bearwood both missed out on £100,000 bids under the Portas scheme.

Borough neighbourhoods boss, Councillor Ian Jones welcomed the new funding.

He said: "Each town will receive around £15,000 each so that they can stimulate town centre activity, whether it is street entertainment, or hanging baskets.

"Town centre leads and deputies are working together with the town centre management in West Bromwich and other towns and it will give them a focus on the activities that they want to bring about."

He added it was hoped the money would help raise the profile of the towns and increase footfall.

Gerry Ritchie, markets and West Bromwich town centre manager, who is also a member of the steering group holding the internal consultation on how the money will be spent, added: "The grant is primarily to be used for rejuvenating the high streets.

"Sandwell has six towns, no decision has been made as to how it will be allocated, but there has been a commitment that it will be spread across the borough."

By Lisa Wright