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When a BBC camera crew can walk into a local shop and buy illegal drugs as easily as a loaf of bread, you know you have a serious problem.Like many local government leaders, I have become used to seeing places make the headlines for reasons beyond their control. One news story can quickly shape perceptions, reducing complex communities to a single narrative.Earlier this year, Cradley Heath, one of our towns, received exactly the kind of attention no place wants. National media coverage highlighted claims of illegal activity in local mini marts. Overnight, the story risked becoming bigger than the town itself.The choice is whether to spend time arguing with the narrative or focus on dealing with the problem behind it.For council leaders, moments like this bring both a challenge and a choice.The challenge is clear. Negative coverage can damage confidence and reinforce stereotypes that councils spend years working to overcome. Residents want reassurance, businesses want a level playing field and elected members expect a response.The choice is whether to spend time arguing with the narrative or focus on dealing with the problem behind it.In Sandwell, we chose the second option.The media coverage did not create the problem. It simply brought greater attention to it.Before the cameras arrived, our trading standards team was already gathering intelligence, working with the police and building evidence around suspected illegal activity. The coverage increased public awareness of an issue that was already under investigation.Public concern alone is not enough to secure legal action. Councils must gather evidence, follow process and ensure any intervention can stand up in court. That takes time and determination.For our officers, resilience is essential. It can be easy to think one shop will simply reopen elsewhere. Our purpose must always be to improve people's lives. That is what good public service is about.In recent weeks, six shops in Cradley Heath have been ordered to close following court action linked to the sale of illegal goods. The closures followed a major intelligence-led operation by trading standards working closely with police partners.While these closures made headlines, they represent something bigger.Councils are often associated with environmental issues such as potholes and bins, but our focus has increasingly shifted towards supporting our high streets, tackling issues linked to houses in multiple occupation and helping to shape thriving communities.These actions show the importance of local government as a place-shaper.As non-compliant businesses become more common on some high streets, councils have an even greater responsibility to create the right conditions for legitimate businesses to succeed.The decline of the traditional high street is a national challenge as shopping habits continue to change. In Sandwell, we have the lowest shop vacancy rates in the Midlands. This has been achieved by attracting anchor tenants and creating a mix of retail, community, education, employment and leisure opportunities.Cradley Heath has a proud history at the heart of the chainmaking industry. Today, through Towns Fund investment, we are creating a new adult learning campus that will help regenerate the area, attract more visitors and provide training to help local people into work.This issue also reflects a wider challenge facing councils across the country.The sale of illegal tobacco, illicit vapes and counterfeit goods is sometimes seen as a minor offence. In reality, it can be linked to organised crime, create unfair competition for legitimate traders and undermine public health and community safety.Most businesses in our town centres make a positive contribution by employing local people and supporting vibrant high streets. They deserve to know councils will act against those who profit through illegal activity.This is where reputation and enforcement come together.A place's reputation is not protected by communications activity alone. It is protected by visible leadership and credible action. Public confidence grows when people see organisations addressing the issues that matter most to them.When national media attention arrives, there can be a temptation to focus only on reputational management. Reputation matters, but residents are usually less interested in how an organisation responds to a headline than whether it deals with the underlying issue.The most effective form of reputation management is delivering results and then telling people about them. Our action in Cradley Heath clearly connected with residents, generating more than 600,000 views across our social media channels and significant regional media coverage. It has also led to the Prime Minister announcing new rules for councils to build a more positive vision for our high streets.Difficult media coverage should not always be seen as a threat. It can also be an opportunity to demonstrate accountability, partnership working and effective leadership.Communities know problems exist. What they want to see is action.In Sandwell, this was never really a story about six shops. It was about maintaining public trust, supporting legitimate businesses and showing that local authorities have both the determination and the ability to tackle criminal activity when it affects communities.The attention may have begun with a television report, but the lasting impact will be measured by the action that followed.For local government leaders, that may be the most important reputational lesson of all: when your borough finds itself in the spotlight, the best response is not simply to manage the story. It is to solve the problem.Shokat Lal is chief executive of Sandwell MBC

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COMMUNICATIONS

Sandwell: Taking action when your borough has the media attention no place wants

By Shokat Lal | 22 September 2026

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