A Rowley Regis husband and wife team have taken over as Sandwell's new mayoral couple.

Blackheath councillor Bob Price was sworn in as mayor at the annual meeting of the council on Tuesday. His wife, Rowley councillor Barbara Price, is mayoress.

The pair are taking over from 2007/08 mayor councillor Gurchuran Singh Sidhu.

Bob announced his main charity for the year ahead will be Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help, which provides support for men and women in the armed forces. The couple's son Robert is currently serving in the British Army.

Bob said: "Barbara and I felt SSAFA wasn't as well known as some other charitable causes, and we wanted to help raise its profile as much as possible."

Rowley councillor Iris Boucher completed a mayoral hat-trick for the town, as she became this year's deputy mayor with husband Stephen Boucher as her consort.