Wendy Morton MP has been named the new Chief Whip in Liz Truss's government.

Children aged between four and five who are starting school will be offered the meals from this month onwards.

Liz Truss was leading the first meeting of her Cabinet on Wednesday before her Prime Minister’s Questions debut in the Commons.

Almost 50 homes in Walsall were left without power in the early hours of the morning after a suspected blown fuse on the network.

Poundland is extending its £1 price range at more than 800 UK stores as it aims to help customers through the cost of living crisis.

The retail group told shareholders on Wednesday that total revenues grew by 9.2% over the 20 weeks to August 19.

There is no doubt that Boris Johnson feels wronged. The former Prime Minister believes he was unfairly ousted from Number 10 and it is clear that he feels he has unfinished business.

Academics and higher education staff across the Black Country are voting today (Wednesday) for industrial action.

The director of a dessert shop in Lye has been fined over £5,000 after pleading guilty to breaching food and hygiene safety standards.

Students from a Stafford school were handed a rare chance to pay homage to missing soldiers from the First World War when they performed under the arches of the Menin Gate after the Last Post was sounded.

The latest in a line of charity events which have so far raised over £12,000 for a Dudley hospital this year will take place next week.

West Midlands firefighters were on the other end of a rescue mission when they were dealt a blow to their fundraising efforts before they’d even got started.

The outlook is a gloomy one for people taking in the news of who the new Prime Minister is.

Furious residents living next to a toxic waste plant where a blaze erupted after a thunderstorm are calling to be moved.

Pat McFadden said Britain needed a new government and not a change of Tory Prime Minister in order to tackle the mounting challenges it faces.

11 talented young dancers from Cannock and Wolverhampton are taking to the stage as part of the cast of the English Youth Ballet's Swan Lake.

Ladies from Staffordshire Women's Institutes got a crash course on climate change at The Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) near Norbury Junction.

A brand new picture of Mary and Jesus has been commissioned by Pleck's St John's Church.

Rat droppings were found near stored food at a Wolverhampton takeaway which has been handed a zero-out-of-five hygiene rating in its latest inspection.

Armed police have responded to reports of "a man with a crossbow" in a siege in Tamworth.

Music lovers gathered in their thousands on Saturday to enjoy an evening of music in a Staffordshire park.

Drinkers will be in heaven next weekend when the Beer Central Festival returns to Digbeth for its third year.

Dramatic footage showing a car crashing into a lorry and overturning on a busy road as part of an appeal for people not to drink and drive.

A new Restaurant Hub is set to come to a Wolverhampton supermarket this month featuring some of the most-recognisable names from the high street.

Plans to build a new technology learning centre on the site of a recently-demolished Wolverhampton primary school will go before city council bosses next week.

Two companies at the centre of concerns around Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) transport in Sandwell have been handed contracts, chiefs have said.

Festive plans for Birmingham are being “closely monitored” as gas and electric prices are set to soar, with Birmingham City Council unable to confirm that the Christmas light switch on and other festive events wouldn’t be affected.

A day care nursery in Wolverhampton has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted bosses following a recent inspection.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after a police patrol car was hit by a 'stolen' transit van following a rush-hour police chase on the M6.

Everyone's heard of the three-second rule whereby it's generally thought to be okay to eat food that's been dropped on the floor if you pick it up within three seconds.

Brand new fencing technology which uses 98 per cent less CO2 than previous manufacture methods has been unveiled in Tipton.

An inspiring Rowley Regis schoolboy has written a book for primary school children showing to encourage physical activity and eating healthy food.

A woman who relied on home care was able to have the holiday of her dreams with her husband thanks to her care provider, before she unexpectedly passed away.

Conservative Party leader Liz Truss has been appointed Prime Minister after meeting the Queen and still has a busy day ahead finalising her Cabinet.

A union boss has warned that firefighters in the region are being forced into using food banks, as it emerged that they are to be balloted for strike action over pay.

A Walsall nursery is "proud" to have achieved an 'outstanding' Ofsted rating for the third time.

A 37-year-old man has been arrested following a sexual assault in Stafford on Sunday.

A person has been taken into custody after being caught on infra-red camera trying to break into a house.

A group of animal rights protesters have been arrested after holes were drilled into around 200 tyres at a milk distribution centre.

A pensioner was left with a broken nose and a fractured eye socket after a harrowing attack on St Georges Parade in Wolverhampton.

Her first priority will be producing a plan to help households and businesses facing crippling energy costs.

Once built, Birmingham HS2 Interchange station will be one of the world’s “most sustainable” railway stations.

Fire crews helped free three drivers stuck in flood water in the Stourbridge area.

The vast and varied book collection of an icon and trailblazer of women's education is set to go under the hammer.

Repair work has started on a notorious pothole-plagued stretch of the A449 between Wolverhampton and Wombourne after concerns were raised over its condition.

The highly-anticipated £35 million West Midlands Metro extension in Wolverhampton will open this autumn after it was delayed earlier this year, chiefs have said.

Truss must ‘deliver’ energy bills help for homes and businesses - West Midlands mayor

Campaigners have been calling for improved road markings and signage on a busy section of road near Lichfield.

Balloon and sky lantern releases could be banned from district council-owned land in Cannock Chase to protect the environment.

Residents at a care home in Wolverhampton decided to get creative by recreating an iconic album cover by a famous band which formed in the city.

More petrol stations in the Black Country have cut their fuel prices, although the cheapest petrol in the region costs the same now compared to one month ago.

The Black Country and Staffordshire was treated to some spectacular lightning last night and a welcome downpour for the parched ground.

Bilston Town FC have submitted plans for a new car park at their Queen Street ground.

Business leaders have warned Liz Truss that Britain faces long-term economic damage unless urgent action is taken over spiralling energy costs.

A nationally acclaimed British visual artist has been awarded an honorary degree from the University of Wolverhampton for her contribution to the arts and creative industries sector.

A Black Country MP insists Liz Truss can unite the Conservative Party ahead of the next general election.

A school in Wolverhampton will remain closed until next week after asbestos was discovered in the school hall as works were being carried out.

A rusty machete has been seized by police from a Land Rover allegedly stolen in a keyless theft in the Black Country.

Packaging group DS Smith has reported that trading has been in line with its expectations.

Sources close to the Conservative MP said she believed it was the right time to go.

One of the Black Country’s leading aluminium foundries is reaping the benefits of a move to ‘servitization’ and forecasts that it will add nearly 10 per cent to its annual turnover.

Students will benefit from improved facilities if a proposed extension of a Walsall College campus is given the go-ahead.

One of the world’s fastest growing fast-moving consumer goods brands has secured its future in the West Midlands after relocating to an industrial estate in Walsall.

A disabled man who runs his own artificial flower business can now safely enjoy his garden thanks to volunteers from a nearby road scheme.

We need clarity, vision and calm thinking from new PM.

New Walsall Connected Hubs in libraries and community associations across the Borough have been officially launched.

She said she would deliver on a plan to boost the economy and deal with the cost-of-living crisis after winning the Tory leadership.

Her mother Cheryl was also injured.

Liz Truss has won the race to become the next Conservative Party leader and, by default, the next Prime Minister.

An appeal has gone out for help identifying two women police want to speak to regarding a burglary.

An appeal for information has been launched after a boy was left with a broken jaw following an assault.

A look at how the incoming prime minister’s first days will unfold.

Parents of disabled children in Dudley are still not happy with the care provided by Dudley Council.

The Colonel 'wouldn't be proud' of a group of youths after a video emerged appearing to show them trashing a fast food restaurant.

A motorcyclist has died after a collision that closed the M6 for several hours.

Drivers will have several major road closures to bear in mind when driving around the Black Country this week.

A dementia expert from the University of Wolverhampton has been named an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society, after her research showed that South Asian people living with dementia in the UK "are being failed".

Indie-pop band Scouting for Girls paid a visit to Trentham Monkey Forest on Sunday ahead of their concert performance at Trentham Live 2022.

A man from West Bromwich is raising awareness of a rare cancer after having a 10kg tumour removed.

A selfless former Manor Hospital patient who vowed to help others following his death has honoured his pledge – with friends and family handing over £130,000 to benefit those who use Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust services.

An appeal to find a man suspected of sexual assault on a train has been launched.

The new Tory leader will be handed the keys to Number 10 on Tuesday after an audience with the Queen at Balmoral.

Complaints over social care in Dudley rose by over 25 per cent in the last year, according to a new report.

A boy was taken to hospital after he was hit by a car in Darlaston.

Burglars swiped a cash box and keys from a Londis shop in Staffordshire after gaining entry through the store's roof.

A second attempt to turn a former furniture store on a housing estate in Wolverhampton into a car showroom has met with a storm of opposition from angry residents.

Families experiencing pregnancy loss at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital are at the heart of a £500 donation thanks to a generous group.

A motorist suffered minor injuries after a two-car smash near the site of an industrial estate fire.

Drone photos show the scale of the damage after firefighters tackled blazing chemicals at a Cannock industrial estate.

Thunderstorms may be the cause of a huge blaze at a Cannock chemical waste transfer station which saw nearby homes evacuated.

A bid to convert Walsall's former deaf centre and club into new apartments is set to fail because of heritage concerns.

She became a Member of Parliament only 12 years ago.

Liz Truss has been told to get to grips with the cost of living crisis as a matter of urgency after she won the Tory leadership contest.

A bus route in the Black Country has been fully restored after a service was axed which led to a temporary shuttle service being launched.

More than two-and-a-half million people across the West Midlands will be able to book to have their Covid-19 booster vaccine as the rollout scheme continues.

Visitor numbers to pop-up Covid-19 vaccine clinics in Wolverhampton have increased, with some people looking to get jabbed ahead of travelling to the World Cup.

Plans for an almost £15 million training base for armed police in Staffordshire have been unveiled with work expected to start in two years, officials have said.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss defeated Rishi Sunak in the battle for the Tory leadership and will become prime minister on Tuesday.

The memory of a young cyclist who died in tragic circumstances while riding is set to be honoured with the latest in a series of tribute bike rides.

The Foreign Secretary is widely tipped to win the Conservative leadership race on Monday.