IT was a case of ladies' first this week as Rowley Councillor Barbara Price was named the new Mayor of Sandwell and Cradley Heath Councillor Julie Webb becoming her deputy.

Cllr Price, who has been a councillor for 16 years, chose Acorns Children’s Hospice as her charity.

Councillor Price, who lives in Mackmillan Road, Rowley Regis, has husband Cllr Robert Price, as consort and Cllr Webb's consort is daughter Nicola Webb.

The new mayor and deputy mayor were invested at a ceremony at Sandwell Council House on Tuesday.

The new mayor said: “I have decided to support Acorns Children’s Hospice as my charity for the year.

"None of us would want to go through the heartache of seeing their children with a terminal illness and so the work this charity does for both children and their families is so important.

“I am really looking forward to going around the borough to meet the many people who do so much work for their communities and to raise money for such a good cause,” she said.