Sandwell Council must act to get levelling up funds, charity warns

The Salvation Army identified Sandwell as being among the five out of the country’s ten poorest areas that have yet to receive this funding. Dudley and Walsall were also listed as high priority areas for levelling up funding.

It comes as Sandwell Council was accused of a “lack of preparation” after admitting it did not enter round one of the levelling up fund, which sees towns and cities secure government cash for much-needed infrastructure projects. Dudley and Walsall did not secure any funds either.

Round two of applying for levelling up will open in spring this year and further details will be set out in due course, according to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The warning from the charity, which has churches and charity shops in Sandwell and across the Black Country, follows the release of the government’s Levelling Up white paper released this month.

The Salvation Army has welcomed the government’s plans to increase opportunities in the Black Country, and to name Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall as new Educational Investment Areas.

But the charity has called for a rethink on how to develop local labour markets in the Black Country, which rely heavily on low-skilled and low-paid seasonal workers or shrinking industries.

Lieutenant-Colonel Joao Paulo Ramos, divisional commander for the West Midlands branch of The Salvation Army, said: “The people who come to our churches, shops and employment advice services in Sandwell want to work but are often held back by things beyond their control.

“Lack of access to affordable childcare or just no opportunity to retrain when a large local employer shuts, can trap people and entire areas in deprivation.

“The levelling up fund is a chance to invest in the people of Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall that don’t want a handout, but a hand up.

“We are not criticising where funding has been allocated so far. However, with almost half the funding already spent, we are asking the Government to focus what money is left on those areas with the highest level of deprivation.

“The commitment to level up is a bold government policy, but an equal playing field means reaching out to those desperate for help to make a better life for themselves and their children. Without funding, these communities will fall even deeper into social deprivation.”

The comments reflect a report released by The Salvation Army in August last year, which stated more than a third of England’s most deprived areas will not benefit from the Government’s £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.

They claim the government has prioritised 93 areas to be given access to levelling up funding but their report identified a further 45 in urgent need of investment.

Two churches in association with The Salvation Army, in Cradley Heath and Oldbury, help local people facing food poverty and community support. At Oldbury, the church provides an employment advice service to help people get back into the job market.

Major David Stephenson, co-leader of Cradley Heath Salvation Army branch said: “During the pandemic, the church re-organised as a food hub for the West Midlands division of Salvation Army churches, linking with health visitors and schools to provide food for vulnerable families.

“The church also provides vouchers for the Black Country food bank, an essential service needed in Sandwell at the moment, as costs continue to rise.”