Solihull (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Solihull is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
. It covers the town of Solihull
itself, as well as Shirley
and Olton
. It is a largely well-off, residential area, in the south-east of the West Midlands conurbation
. The seat currently comprises the following wards: Elmdon, Lyndon, Olton, St Alphege, Shirley East, Shirley South, Shirley West, Silhill.
, and around 2,000 electors transferred in to Solihull from Meriden. The net effect of this (according to Rallings & Thrasher's calculations used by the major news outlets) was that the seat notionally switched from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives.
had always viewed Solihull as a safe seat
, having held it since it was established in 1945 until 2005. Roy Jenkins
failed to win the constituency at the 1945 UK general election.
Yet, in the 2005 general election
it was an unexpected gain for the Liberal Democrats
, with Lorely Burt
beating the incumbent John Taylor
by a small majority of just 279 votes. Burt won the seat again at the 2010 General Election, this time by just 175 votes following two recounts. Although the incumbent when the 2010 election was called, Mrs Burt's victory was classed as a 'gain' because boundary changes had given the Conservative candidate, Maggie Throup, a slender notional majority.
Following boundary changes, the northernmost tip of the seat now contains the point in England furthest from the coast in any direction.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elects one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Boundaries
The constituency is one of two covering the Metropolitan Borough of SolihullMetropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
. It covers the town of Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
itself, as well as Shirley
Shirley, West Midlands
Shirley is a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the county of West Midlands, England. It is a residential and shopping neighbourhood, and a suburb of Solihull.-History:...
and Olton
Olton
Olton is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. In the 13th century the Lords of the Manor moved their seat and formed a new settlement, in the junction of two major roads, that village has now grown into a big town called Solihull...
. It is a largely well-off, residential area, in the south-east of the West Midlands conurbation
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
. The seat currently comprises the following wards: Elmdon, Lyndon, Olton, St Alphege, Shirley East, Shirley South, Shirley West, Silhill.
Boundary changes
Boundary changes that came into effect at the 2010 General Election saw just under 5,000 electors transferred to the neighbouring Meriden constituencyMeriden (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
, and around 2,000 electors transferred in to Solihull from Meriden. The net effect of this (according to Rallings & Thrasher's calculations used by the major news outlets) was that the seat notionally switched from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives.
History
The Conservative PartyConservative 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...
had always viewed Solihull as a safe seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
, having held it since it was established in 1945 until 2005. Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
failed to win the constituency at the 1945 UK general election.
Yet, in the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
it was an unexpected gain for the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, with Lorely Burt
Lorely Burt
Lorely Jane Burt is a British politician and the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Solihull.-Early life:She went to University College, Swansea, achieving a BSc in Economics...
beating the incumbent John Taylor
John Mark Taylor
John Mark Taylor is a solicitor and former politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Solihull from 1983 to 2005, before losing his seat to Lorely Burt of the Liberal Democrats by a margin of 279 votes in the 2005 general election...
by a small majority of just 279 votes. Burt won the seat again at the 2010 General Election, this time by just 175 votes following two recounts. Although the incumbent when the 2010 election was called, Mrs Burt's victory was classed as a 'gain' because boundary changes had given the Conservative candidate, Maggie Throup, a slender notional majority.
Constituency profile
The Solihull area is home to some of the West Midlands more affluent residents and serves as a comfortable commuter base for Birmingham workers. There are some smaller villages and undeveloped green belt areas in the countryside, though the seat is primarliy suburban and middle-class, with low levels of deprivation throughout.Following boundary changes, the northernmost tip of the seat now contains the point in England furthest from the coast in any direction.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 United Kingdom general election, 1945 The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to... |
Sir Martin Lindsay Sir Martin Lindsay, 1st Baronet Sir Martin Alexander Lindsay, 1st Baronet, CBE, DSO was a British army officer and explorer. He came to fame in the 1930s leading a succession of expeditions to Greenland, and later went into politics; he was elected as a Conservative Party Member of Parliament after the Second World... |
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... |
|
| 1964 United Kingdom general election, 1964 The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power... |
Percy Grieve Percy Grieve William Percival Grieve, QC was a British Conservative Party politician.Grieve was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He became a barrister, called by Middle Temple in 1938, and a Queen's Counsel in 1962... |
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... |
|
| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
John Taylor John Mark Taylor John Mark Taylor is a solicitor and former politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Solihull from 1983 to 2005, before losing his seat to Lorely Burt of the Liberal Democrats by a margin of 279 votes in the 2005 general election... |
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... |
|
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... |
Lorely Burt Lorely Burt Lorely Jane Burt is a British politician and the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Solihull.-Early life:She went to University College, Swansea, achieving a BSc in Economics... |
Liberal Democrat | |
Elections in the 2010s
- Due to Boundary Changes this seat was notionally Conservative, even though it was previously held by the Liberal Democrats, making it a Liberal Democrat gain.
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
See also
- List of Parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county)