Kings Norton
Encyclopedia
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham
, England
. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.
of 1086 records the village as 'Nortune', noting that even in Anglo-Saxon England
immediately before the Norman Conquest
, the land the village stood on was owned by the King. Kings Norton is now divided into several parts with the ancient centre, based around the village green, still intact.
. In the first of these, a force led by Prince Rupert of the Rhine
, numbering some 300, was resting on Kings Norton Green. There, they were surprised by a smaller group led by Lord Willoughby of Parham
. A skirmish took place
, in which fifty of Prince Rupert's men were killed, and twenty were taken prisoner. The Parliamentarian force lost twenty men. This took place on the 17 October 1642.
In a later episode, Queen Henrietta Maria
arrived in Kings Norton with an army of around 5,500 men that she had raised in Yorkshire
. It is believed that she stayed the night in the Saracen's Head
, while the army camped on land behind the church, now Kings Norton Park (giving rise to the modern road name "Camp Lane"). There is also a public house on this road named The Camp Inn.
granted permission to hold markets and fairs at Kings Norton. Both the original fairs and the market eventually fell into disuse. At some later date, a Mop Fair
began to be held on the Green on the first Monday of October. A Mop Fair was a hiring fair where people would go looking for employment. After the decline of hiring fairs, the Mop became a village fête
organised by the Round Table and raising money for local people. More recently, the Round Table handed over running the Mop to a commercial fun fair. A new Farmers' Market was set up in 2005, operating on The Green once a month.
In 1796, the Birmingham and Worcester Canal was built through Kings Norton, linking Birmingham to the River Severn
. This was linked to the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
by Kings Norton Junction
, allowing access to Stratford-upon-Avon
and, more significantly, the Grand Union Canal
. Just beyond the junction is a rare example of a guillotine lock
.
Kings Norton, along with many of the small towns near Birmingham, expanded considerably in the 19th century with a railway link into Birmingham passing by the new Bournville
factory just to the north. Historically, Kings Norton had been part of Worcestershire
, but from 1898, it was part of the King's Norton and Northfield
urban district
until added to Birmingham in 1911 by the Greater Birmingham Act.
During the 20th century, the area grew further with additional private and public housing. In October 1920, 25½ acres of land at Kings Norton (just below St Nicolas' Church) were purchased by the Birmingham Civic Society and afterwards presented to the city for the benefit of the citizens of Birmingham. The Society also designed and paid for the formal gardens, gates on the Pershore Road side and stone benches.
With the clearance of city centre slum housing, there was a pressing need for additional social housing in Birmingham. As part of this programme, the City Council built several new housing estates in Kings Norton, including the Wychall Farm and Pool Farm estates in the 1960s and the Primrose and Hawkesley
estates in the 1970s. These new estates occupied land that had previously been open farmland, most notably the area known as the Three Estates (Pool Farm, Primrose and Hawkesley) which occupy land mostly to the east of the Birmingham and Worcester canal and the A441 Redditch Road
.
The Wychall Farm housing estate was developed by the city council during the 1950s
, and also included Wychall Farm Primary School, for pupils aged 5-11 years, which opened in 1956.However, the housing fell into increasing disrepair towards the end of the 20th century and by the summer of 2006 a demolition programme had begun on the estate, which will see 500 homes demolished to make way for a 350-home housing association development. Within three years, most of the demolition had been completed and some of the new homes were already occupied.
St Nicolas' Church dates from the 13th century, and the spire dates from the 15th century. In addition, the Green contains three later medieval building from the 15th century, the Old Grammar School, the Saracen's Head
and number 10 The Green.
In the summer of 2004, two of these ancient buildings, The Saracen's Head and The Old Grammar School were the winners of the BBC's Restoration
competition and were awarded over £3 million towards the cost of major refurbishment. In 2006, planning permission was granted for the restoration of these buildings, and work started.
The Old Grammar School and Saracen's Head were reopened to the public in June 2008, and in December 2008 were renamed as Saint Nicolas Place.
to the south. It also has a railway station
on the Cross-City Line. The line of Icknield or Ryknild Street
, a Roman road running northwards from Alcester
via Metchley Fort
in Edgbaston
towards Sutton Coldfield
and beyond, can be traced through the eastern edge of the district.
Buses run to Birmingham every few minutes along the Pershore Road (Services 45, 47 & 146). Services 18, 19, 49, 84 & 145 operate inter suburban routes through the area.
).
In 1999, the Pool Farm, Primrose and Hawkesley housing estates, collectively known as the 'Three Estates', were awarded a regeneration grant as part of the government's New Deal for the Community programme (NDC). The award of £50 million is designed to run over ten years. Unlike earlier government regeneration programmes, NDC is able to focus on issues such as health and employment as well as on housing. Following considerable consultation, a major rebuild of the estates is planned.
A major redevelopment of the Wychall Farm estate in the west of Kings Norton was started in 2001. The previous housing was built using a system build approach that had exceeded its projected life-span. Bromford Housing Association have led the redevelopment.
A large, new, private housing estate has also been built on the site of the former Monyhull Hall Hospital, just outside the boundary of Kings Norton ward.
, a metropolitan unitary authority. Three councillors are elected for Kings Norton; since the local government elections in May 2011 these are Peter Griffiths (Labour
), Steve Bedser (Labour Co-operative
), and Geoff Sutton (Conservative
).
Kings Norton became part of Northfield district in 2006, having formerly been part of Selly Oak
. In 2004, the ward boundary was changed as part of city-wide boundary alterations overseen by the Boundary Commission
. This saw the addition of a small area of the Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in the east of the ward, and a small area of the Birmingham, Northfield constituency at the south of the ward in the West Heath
area.
Most of Kings Norton lies within Kings Norton ward which is part of Birmingham, Northfield and are represented by Richard Burden
although some parts of Kings Norton lie within Birmingham, Selly Oak and are represented by Steve McCabe
.
Kings Norton ward has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being Bob Barr.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.
History
Kings Norton derives its name from the Norman period, meaning 'north farmland or settlement' belonging to or held by the king, when Kings Norton was part of the King's forest in the district of Bromsgrove. However the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 records the village as 'Nortune', noting that even in Anglo-Saxon England
History of Anglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England refers to the period of the history of that part of Britain, that became known as England, lasting from the end of Roman occupation and establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror...
immediately before the Norman Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, the land the village stood on was owned by the King. Kings Norton is now divided into several parts with the ancient centre, based around the village green, still intact.
Civil war
Kings Norton was the scene of a couple of minor episodes during the English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. In the first of these, a force led by Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
, numbering some 300, was resting on Kings Norton Green. There, they were surprised by a smaller group led by Lord Willoughby of Parham
Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham
Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English peer of the House of Lords.He succeeded to the title 14 October 1617 on the death in infancy of his elder brother Henry Willoughby, 4th Lord Willoughby of Parham...
. A skirmish took place
Battle of Kings Norton
The battle of Kings Norton was fought on 17 October 1642. The Parliamentarians won the skirmish, which developed out of a chance encounter between Royalists under the command of Prince Rupert and Parliamentarians under the command of Lord Willoughby of Parham...
, in which fifty of Prince Rupert's men were killed, and twenty were taken prisoner. The Parliamentarian force lost twenty men. This took place on the 17 October 1642.
In a later episode, Queen Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
arrived in Kings Norton with an army of around 5,500 men that she had raised in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. It is believed that she stayed the night in the Saracen's Head
Saracen's Head
The Saracen's Head is the name usually given to a group of late medieval buildings in Kings Norton, Birmingham. The buildings, together with the nearby Old Grammar School, won the BBC Restoration series in 2004...
, while the army camped on land behind the church, now Kings Norton Park (giving rise to the modern road name "Camp Lane"). There is also a public house on this road named The Camp Inn.
Markets and fairs
In 1616, King JamesJames I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
granted permission to hold markets and fairs at Kings Norton. Both the original fairs and the market eventually fell into disuse. At some later date, a Mop Fair
Mop Fair
Mop Fairs are a feature of many English towns and are traditionally held on or around "Old Michaelmas Day". They originated as a Hiring fair and their history dates back some 600 to 700 years.-History:...
began to be held on the Green on the first Monday of October. A Mop Fair was a hiring fair where people would go looking for employment. After the decline of hiring fairs, the Mop became a village fête
Fête
Fête is a French word meaning festival, celebration or party, which has passed into English as a label that may be given to certain events.-Description:It is widely used in England and Australia in the context of a village fête,...
organised by the Round Table and raising money for local people. More recently, the Round Table handed over running the Mop to a commercial fun fair. A new Farmers' Market was set up in 2005, operating on The Green once a month.
Industrialisation and expansion
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
. This was linked to the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is a canal in the south Midlands of England.The canal, which was built between 1793 and 1816, runs for in total, and consists of two sections. The dividing line is at Kingswood Junction, which gives access to the Grand Union Canal...
by Kings Norton Junction
Kings Norton Junction
Kings Norton Junction is the name of the canal junction where the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal terminates and meets the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Kings Norton, Birmingham, England....
, allowing access to Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
and, more significantly, the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
. Just beyond the junction is a rare example of a guillotine lock
Guillotine lock
A guillotine lock is a type of canal lock. The lock itself operates on the same principle as any normal pound lock, but is unusual in that each gate is a single piece, usually of steel, that slides vertically upwards when opened to allow a boat to traverse underneath...
.
Kings Norton, along with many of the small towns near Birmingham, expanded considerably in the 19th century with a railway link into Birmingham passing by the new Bournville
Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
factory just to the north. Historically, Kings Norton had been part of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, but from 1898, it was part of the King's Norton and Northfield
King's Norton and Northfield
King's Norton and Northfield Urban District was a local government administrative district in north Worcestershire, England, from 1898 until 1911...
urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
until added to Birmingham in 1911 by the Greater Birmingham Act.
Urbanisation
With the clearance of city centre slum housing, there was a pressing need for additional social housing in Birmingham. As part of this programme, the City Council built several new housing estates in Kings Norton, including the Wychall Farm and Pool Farm estates in the 1960s and the Primrose and Hawkesley
Hawkesley
Hawkesley is an area of Birmingham, England. It is part of 'The Three Estates', the housing estates Hawkesley, Pool Farm, and Primrose. These are to the south east of Kings Norton...
estates in the 1970s. These new estates occupied land that had previously been open farmland, most notably the area known as the Three Estates (Pool Farm, Primrose and Hawkesley) which occupy land mostly to the east of the Birmingham and Worcester canal and the A441 Redditch Road
A441 road
A441 is an A-road in England which runs from central Birmingham to Cookhill, Worcestershire.-History:Once one of the main routes between Evesham, Redditch and Birmingham, the A441 has now largely been superseded by A435 which has been upgraded to the East...
.
The Wychall Farm housing estate was developed by the city council during the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
, and also included Wychall Farm Primary School, for pupils aged 5-11 years, which opened in 1956.However, the housing fell into increasing disrepair towards the end of the 20th century and by the summer of 2006 a demolition programme had begun on the estate, which will see 500 homes demolished to make way for a 350-home housing association development. Within three years, most of the demolition had been completed and some of the new homes were already occupied.
Places of interest
Saracen's Head
The Saracen's Head is the name usually given to a group of late medieval buildings in Kings Norton, Birmingham. The buildings, together with the nearby Old Grammar School, won the BBC Restoration series in 2004...
and number 10 The Green.
In the summer of 2004, two of these ancient buildings, The Saracen's Head and The Old Grammar School were the winners of the BBC's Restoration
Restoration (TV series)
Restoration, Restoration, Restoration is a set of BBC television series where viewers decided on which listed building that was in immediate need of remedial works was to win a grant from Heritage Lottery Fund...
competition and were awarded over £3 million towards the cost of major refurbishment. In 2006, planning permission was granted for the restoration of these buildings, and work started.
The Old Grammar School and Saracen's Head were reopened to the public in June 2008, and in December 2008 were renamed as Saint Nicolas Place.
Transport
Modern Kings Norton lies on the A441 Pershore Road South which runs between Birmingham and RedditchRedditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
to the south. It also has a railway station
Kings Norton railway station
Kings Norton railway station serves the Kings Norton and Cotteridge areas of Birmingham, England. It lies on Cross-City Line from Redditch through Birmingham New Street to Lichfield. The station's main entrance is located on Pershore Road South, the A441....
on the Cross-City Line. The line of Icknield or Ryknild Street
Icknield Street
Icknield Street or Ryknild Street is a Roman road in Britain that runs from the Fosse Way at Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire to Templeborough in South Yorkshire...
, a Roman road running northwards from Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
via Metchley Fort
Metchley Fort
Metchley Fort was a Roman fort in what is now Birmingham, England.It lies on the course of a Roman road, Icknield Street, which is now the site of the present Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the University of Birmingham in Edgbaston. The fort was constructed soon after the Roman invasion of Britain in...
in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
towards Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
and beyond, can be traced through the eastern edge of the district.
Buses run to Birmingham every few minutes along the Pershore Road (Services 45, 47 & 146). Services 18, 19, 49, 84 & 145 operate inter suburban routes through the area.
Industry
Kings Norton is home to the world-famous glass manufacturers Triplex (now part of PilkingtonPilkington
Pilkington Group Limited is a multinational glass manufacturing company headquartered in St Helens, United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of the Japan-based NSG Group...
).
Redevelopment
A number of redevelopment projects have proved necessary because of the deteriorating quality of the social housing in Kings Norton.In 1999, the Pool Farm, Primrose and Hawkesley housing estates, collectively known as the 'Three Estates', were awarded a regeneration grant as part of the government's New Deal for the Community programme (NDC). The award of £50 million is designed to run over ten years. Unlike earlier government regeneration programmes, NDC is able to focus on issues such as health and employment as well as on housing. Following considerable consultation, a major rebuild of the estates is planned.
A major redevelopment of the Wychall Farm estate in the west of Kings Norton was started in 2001. The previous housing was built using a system build approach that had exceeded its projected life-span. Bromford Housing Association have led the redevelopment.
A large, new, private housing estate has also been built on the site of the former Monyhull Hall Hospital, just outside the boundary of Kings Norton ward.
Famous residents
- Andy AkinwolereAndy AkinwolereAndy Akinwolere is a British television presenter.-Early life:Akinwolere was born in Nigeria in 1982, and moved to the United Kingdom with his family when he was eight years old. They settled in Birmingham, where he was educated.-Education:Akinwolere attended St...
, BBC Blue PeterBlue PeterBlue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
TV programme presenter, was educated here, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic SchoolSt. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, BirminghamSt. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is a mixed Catholic secondary school in Kings Norton, Birmingham, England that specialises in mathematics and computing. The school, which is part of the Birmingham Catholic Partnership, consists of key stage three , key stage four and a Sixth form college... - The Revd W.V. AwdryW.V. AwdryWilbert Vere Awdry, OBE , was an English clergyman, railway enthusiast and children's author, better known as the Reverend W. Awdry and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, who starred in Awdry's acclaimed Railway Series.-Life:Awdry was born at Ampfield vicarage near Romsey, Hampshire in 1911...
, creator of Thomas the Tank EngineThomas the Tank EngineThomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
, was a curate at King’s Norton from late 1940 to 1946 - Neville ChamberlainNeville ChamberlainArthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
, Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1937–1940, lived in King's Norton for most of his life, as did his wife AnneAnne ChamberlainAnne Vere Chamberlain, née Anne de Vere Cole was the wife of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.Chamberlain was born to Major William Utting Cole, of West Woodhay House; he died in India of cholera while she was young... - Roxbee Cox, Baron Kings Norton, aeronautical engineer
- George DawsonGeorge Dawson (preacher)George Dawson was an English nonconformist minister.-Ministry:He was born in London and educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, and the University of Glasgow....
, Non-Conformist Preacher and advocate of the Civic GospelCivic GospelThe Civic Gospel was a philosophy of municipal activism that emerged in Birmingham, England in the mid- to late- 19th century. Tracing its origins to the preaching of George Dawson, who preached that "a town is a solemn organism through which shall flow, and in which shall be shaped, all the... - Thomas HallThomas Hall (minister)-Life:He was son of Richard Hall, clothier, by his wife Elizabeth , and was born in St. Andrew's parish, Worcester, about 22 July 1610. He was educated at the King's School, Worcester, under Henry Bright , one of the most celebrated schoolmasters of the day. In 1624 he entered Balliol College,...
, Non-Conformist Preacher, pamphleteer, author of 'The loathsomeness of long hair", appointed to Kings Norton Parish in 1629 - Mick HarrisMick HarrisMick Harris commonly known and credited both as Mick Harris or occasionally M.J. Harris, is an English musician....
musician, best known for drumming in Napalm DeathNapalm DeathNapalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
in 1985-1991; also engaged in a number of side-projects musically varying from jazz, death-grind to ambient industrial - Alan NapierAlan NapierAlan William Napier-Clavering was an English actor, best known for portraying Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960s live-action Batman television series.-Early life and career:...
actor, best known for playing the butler Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960s BatmanBatman (TV series)Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
television series - Alan Nunn MayAlan Nunn MayAlan Nunn May was an English physicist, and a confessed and convicted Soviet spy, who supplied secrets of British and United States atomic research to the Soviet Union during World War II.-Early years, education:...
a physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and a RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n spySPYSPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
was born and lived the early part of his life in Kings Norton. - Laurence Inman lives in King's Norton. The stand-up comedian and actor, best known for his part in Sex Lives of the Potato MenSex Lives of the Potato MenSex Lives of the Potato Men is a British comedy film released in 2004.The film is about the sexual antics of a group of potato delivery men in Birmingham and stars Johnny Vegas and Mackenzie Crook....
often writes about the area in his weekly blog. Inman was voted 3rd in Brummie of the Year 2006.
Politics
Kings Norton is a ward of Birmingham City CouncilBirmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
, a metropolitan unitary authority. Three councillors are elected for Kings Norton; since the local government elections in May 2011 these are Peter Griffiths (Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
), Steve Bedser (Labour Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
), and Geoff Sutton (Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
).
Kings Norton became part of Northfield district in 2006, having formerly been part of Selly Oak
Selly Oak
Selly Oak is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb is bordered by Bournbrook and Selly Park to the north-east, Edgbaston and Harborne to the north, Weoley Castle and Weoley Hill to the west, and Bournville to the south...
. In 2004, the ward boundary was changed as part of city-wide boundary alterations overseen by the Boundary Commission
Boundary Commission (United Kingdom)
Boundary Commissions in the UK are non-departmental public bodies responsible for determining the boundaries of constituencies for elections to the Westminster Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales. There are four boundary commissions in the United Kingdom: one...
. This saw the addition of a small area of the Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in the east of the ward, and a small area of the Birmingham, Northfield constituency at the south of the ward in the West Heath
West Heath, West Midlands
West Heath is a residential area on the southern outskirts of metropolitan Birmingham, England and near the boundary with Worcestershire. Located in the ward of Northfield it is situated between Kings Norton, Northfield, Longbridge and Cofton Hackett and lies on traditional heathland formed in...
area.
Most of Kings Norton lies within Kings Norton ward which is part of Birmingham, Northfield and are represented by Richard Burden
Richard Burden
Richard Burden is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield since 1992. Together with close friend and fellow ex-Young Liberal Peter Hain M.P., he was an enthusiastic supporter of the ill-fated Alternative Vote system in the May 2011...
although some parts of Kings Norton lie within Birmingham, Selly Oak and are represented by Steve McCabe
Steve McCabe (politician)
Stephen James McCabe is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hall Green from 1997 to 2010, when he was elected for Birmingham Selly Oak.-Early life:...
.
Kings Norton ward has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being Bob Barr.