Birmingham & Black Country

Local elections 2026
Local elections 2026

How Thursday could be Sandwell's biggest election in decades

Labour has run Sandwell Council since 1979 but there are signs the party's grip is under threat.
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  1. Two large freight wagons with their wheels off the tracks and overhead power lines above

  2. A man in a T'shirt and brown trousers walks with his dog to the entrance of a polling station. The entrance has a polling station sign and other stickers in its glass windows.

  3. A selection of weapons which have been removed from loan sharks when the Illegal Lending Money Team have carried out raids on suspects' homes. The weapons on the table include a bronze knuckle duster, a meat cleaver, two flick knives, a hunting knife, a garden saw, a crow bar, a samurai sword and multiple bank cards which belong to victims.

  4. Rachel Hilmo wearing a dark blue clinical outfit holds a white cardboard box while standing with a patient, who is an older man wearing a green cardigan and a checked red and blue shirt. He is holding the wearable patch which is oval in shape and transparent on the edges and white in the centre.

  5. Sir David Attenborough, dressed in khaki anorak and grey trousers, leans against a giant redwood tree. He is looking thoughtfully to the left. His hair is white.

  6. A wagon has come off a track and sits on another neighbouring line. Two wagons can be seen in the image, both what looks like a dirty brown or metal colour with graffiti on. Some rail workers stand nearby.

  7. Peter Kay performing on stage in a blue suit and stripy shirt

  8. A man dressed as Spider-Man holds a medal in front of a statue.

  9. A woman in a black top sits in a restaurant on a brown leather bench. She has blond hair partially tied back and is smiling widely.

  10. A redbrick two-storey building with a triangular roof. The building has windows all along the top floor, which have maroon window frames. The building says "Sandwell" in large white letters on the front.

  11. Tierney is stood outside by some trees and is smiling at the camera. He has a grey jacket on over a grey shirt. He has short brown hair.

  12. A close-up of the face of a young woman. She has dark curly hair, and is smiling at the camera

  13. A police car is parked partly on a kerb outside a building in a street. There are dark benches outside, with blue and white police tape in front of them. Two officers are standing outside brown doors.

  14. A man with a shiny outfit on looking into the camera and smiling. He has red hair and he has a metallic ring around his face/ head. 

  15. John Stiles is seen on a video link, talking to a reporter. He is middle-aged, has short light-coloured hair, and is wearing a shirt and jumper

  16. A close-up of a large brown dog lying on grass with a green rubber ball in his mouth.

  17. A plane comes into land at an empty runway at Manchester Airport with its landing land on underneath its cockpit

  18. A general view of Birmingham. At the front are buses and behind them market stalls. A church with a large steeple rises up and behind that a circular tall building. The sky is sunny and it looks like sunset.

  19. A stock image of a road, with a junction to the right. There are cars on the left and more in the background, with several trees lining the road

  20. Kay is pictured waving at the camera and wearing a dark cap and top and jacket. He is outside in a street.

  21. A police car is parked partly on a kerb outside a building in a street. There are dark benches outside, with blue and white police tape in front of them. Two officers are standing outside brown doors.

  22. Two black women with long hair stand next to each other and are smiling at the camera while looking at it. One is wearing a dotty top and the other is wearing a purple dress. To the left of them is a bannister, lights hanging from the ceiling and pink flowers.

  23. Manny Singh Kang has a grey beard is wearing a black T-shirt including the word Manny in yellow and other words is holding out both fists and looking at the camera. Other people are behind him and the union jack flags are also visible. The middle image is of Roo on the carpet at Buckingham Palace - it's a teddy bear on that looks like the baby kangaroo character from Winnie-the-Pooh. It has scruffy grey and white fur with big ears and a long tail. He has a white underside. In the third image: Elaine Hipkins with long blonde hair smiles holding a massive bouquet of flowers. Behind her is black and pink bunting that reads "happy retirement" with several cards hanging up.

  24. A black and white image of two women driving a steam train. They are both wearing overalls as well as caps. One is in the driver's seat and the other just behind.