A new self-service dog wash is due to open at Sandwell Valley Visitor Centre later this month, according to Sandwell Council.
The council said the facility is set to open on 16 February 2026 and is being installed in time for the half-term break.
What’s being installed
Sandwell Council said the dog wash will be self-service and will accept card and mobile payments.
The council also said the unit includes a dryer, aimed at people who have been walking dogs around Sandwell Valley and want to clean them up before heading home.
Why it’s being added
In its announcement, the council said the facility is intended to improve the visitor offer at Sandwell Valley, which attracts walkers and families using the park and surrounding routes.
A statement in the release is attributed to Councillor Peter Kettle, who said the aim is to add practical, everyday improvements for people using the site.
National Rail has warned of engineering works that will divert or alter some late-night services affecting Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton between 16 and 19 February.
Rail passengers are being warned of engineering works that will affect some late-night services involving Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton.
National Rail lists disruption covering Monday 16 February to Thursday 19 February 2026.
What changes are listed
According to National Rail, the 23:16 London Euston to Wolverhampton service will be diverted.
Instead of running direct, it is listed as running to Birmingham New Street and then continuing via Bescot Stadium and Walsall, with a bus from Walsall to Wolverhampton to complete the journey.
National Rail also lists changes affecting the 23:00 London Euston to Birmingham New Street, which is shown as being diverted and not calling at Birmingham New Street.
Last direct service
National Rail’s disruption page states the last direct service from London Euston to Wolverhampton during the works period is 22:23.
Advice for passengers
Passengers planning late-night travel are advised to:
Look out for bus connection details if travelling to Wolverhampton late at night
Check journey planners before setting off
Allow extra time
Pay attention to whether their train is diverted away from Birmingham New Street
West Midlands Metro has published its February disruption plan, including changes around Wolverhampton St George’s and reduced services during works linked to the Dudley extension.
West Midlands Metro has published details of service changes across February while maintenance work is carried out at Wolverhampton St George’s and final connection works take place for the Dudley extension.
The operator’s notice was published on 2 February 2026.
From Saturday 7 February: Wolverhampton St George’s stop not in use
Metro says Wolverhampton St George’s stop will not be in use while signalling equipment is replaced.
From Saturday 7 February, Metro says the service will run:
trams up to every 8 minutes between Wolverhampton Station and Edgbaston Village
From 21:15 on Monday 16 February: reduced network during tie-in works
Metro says tie-in works to connect the current track to the new Dudley extension will take place from 21:15 on Monday 16 February until the end of service on Wednesday 18 February.
During that period, Metro says:
trams run up to every 8 minutes between Wednesbury Great Western Street and Wolverhampton Station only
there will be no services between Wednesbury Great Western Street and Edgbaston Village
Metro says normal service will resume from the start of service on Thursday 19 February.
Last-tram times and alternative travel
Metro also lists last-tram times for Monday 16 February, including:
Wolverhampton Station to Edgbaston Village: 20:15
Edgbaston Village to Wolverhampton Station: 19:15
Metro says ticket acceptance will be available on certain alternative transport options, including specified National Express bus routes and West Midlands Railway services, with limits.
Passengers are advised to check their route before travelling, especially if their journey normally runs through the Birmingham city centre stops or connects into rail services at Wolverhampton.
Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet is due to consider the draft three-year budget report that sets out spending plans, savings proposals and council tax assumptions before it goes to full Council.
Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet is due to consider the city’s draft budget plans for the next three financial years at a meeting on Tuesday 10 February 2026.
The agenda includes a report on the council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), covering the period from 2026/27 to 2028/29.
This is the document that frames the big calls: what the council expects to spend, where it plans to save, and what assumptions it is making about income such as Council Tax and government funding.
What the papers say
In the draft report to Cabinet, the council sets out a net General Fund revenue budget of £1.907bn for 2026/27.
The report also states that the plan requires £95m in savings across the MTFP period.
On Council Tax, the report assumes a maximum 4.99% increase in each of the three years. That figure is typically made up of the core rise plus the adult social care precept.
The report also notes that the Final Local Government Finance Settlement had not been received at the time the report was written. In practice, that means some figures and assumptions may still be subject to confirmation.
Exceptional Financial Support and legacy costs
The papers refer to Exceptional Financial Support (EFS), a mechanism councils can use with government agreement to manage certain costs.
The report says that, as previously reported to City Council, the 2025/26 budget was approved with £11m of EFS and adds that no further EFS is being requested from Government. It links the earlier EFS position to historic equal pay liabilities and earlier budget pressures.
What happens next
Cabinet decisions are not the final sign-off for the budget. The Cabinet meeting is the stage where the draft report is considered before it moves on to the wider Council decision-making process.
For residents, the practical point is simple: these papers are where the direction is set, including the assumptions that shape service budgets and Council Tax planning.
Birmingham’s cabinet considers key budget papers, police issue two public appeals, and rail passengers are warned of late-night disruption between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Birmingham cabinet considers draft budget papers for 2026/27 to 2028/29
Birmingham City Council’s cabinet is scheduled to meet on Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 10:00.
Key items on the agenda include:
2026/27 to 2028/29 Budget Setting for the General Fund Revenue Account
2026/27 to 2028/29 Capital Programme Medium-Term Financial Plan
2026/27 Treasury Management Strategy and Policy
Other items listed for the same meeting include performance and savings monitoring, procurement strategies, a housing repairs contract extension, an item related to a Perry Barr residential scheme, a City of Sanctuary strategy, Kings Heath and Moseley Places for People, and appointments to outside bodies.
Police appeal after reported sexual assault in Perry Barr
West Midlands Police has published an appeal after a woman reported being sexually assaulted at a shopping park in Birmingham.
Police say it happened at around 3pm on Saturday 20 December at One Stop in Perry Barr.
Officers say they want to identify a man pictured as part of their enquiries. Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting crime reference 20/482030/25.
West Midlands Police has issued an appeal linked to an incident on Bevan Avenue, Wolverhampton.
Police say they were called on 8 February after a report of a disturbance outside an address. Officers say they are working to understand what happened and want to speak to anyone who was in the area between 9pm and 10pm.
Police also say they want to speak to two people pictured as part of their enquiries, and that they are not being considered as suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting log 4371 of 8 Feb.
Rail disruption warning for late services via Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
National Rail has published disruption information for late night Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Wolverhampton, due to engineering work.
The notice says the work runs from Monday 16 February 2026 to Thursday 19 February 2026, and that engineering work is taking place between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton, closing some lines.
National Rail says the 22:30, 23:00 and 23:30 Euston to Wolverhampton services will be diverted after Birmingham New Street via Aston and Bescot Stadium, extending journey times and arriving later into Wolverhampton.
West Midlands Police say a Coventry man was jailed for two years after refusing to provide a phone PIN despite a legal notice requiring him to do so. The court also imposed a long-term Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
A convicted child sex offender from Coventry has been jailed for two years after refusing to provide the PIN for a mobile phone, West Midlands Police said.
In a statement, the force said Stanley Heames, 41, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on 3 February after admitting an offence linked to failing to comply with a legal disclosure notice.
Police said officers had recovered a phone during a warrant at his address and later served a notice requiring him to provide access to it. They said he refused to hand over the PIN, despite the notice, and was then charged. Police said he admitted failing to comply.
The case highlights how police can use legal powers to try to access devices during investigations, and that refusing to comply with a lawful disclosure requirement can itself be a criminal offence.
Background and restrictions
West Midlands Police said Heames is a convicted child sex offender and was jailed in 2017 for sexual offences against a child.
Police said the court imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 20 years. In their summary, police said the order includes strict conditions, including limits on contact with children and requirements relating to mobile phones and access codes.
West Midlands Police say two people were arrested during an operation around a pre-planned Birmingham event on 8 February, including a woman detained in Kings Heath on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
West Midlands Police say two people were arrested as part of a policing operation around a pre-planned event in Birmingham.
In a statement, the force said a 35-year-old woman was detained in the Kings Heath area at about 2.30pm on 8 February, after officers stopped the car she was travelling in. Police said she was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
Police said they were acting on information that the woman was due to attend a launch event for the ‘Anti-Zionist Movement’, which they said took place in the Balsall Heath area that afternoon.
The force also said the woman was wanted by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of a Public Order Act offence, as part of a London-based investigation into speeches and social media posts made between May and October last year in London and Birmingham.
West Midlands Police said they maintained a policing presence outside the venue during the event. They said that at about 5pm, a 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence after a member of the public, who had come to observe the event, reported being threatened.
Police said a criminal investigation is continuing into a social media post used to advertise the event.
In their statement, West Midlands Police said they updated local stakeholders before and during the operation, including members of the local Jewish community.
At this stage, police have not released names, nor said whether anyone has been charged. As with any investigation, arrests are not proof of guilt and the legal process will determine what happens next.
