The
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the
West MidlandsThe West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, in
west-central EnglandThe West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
. It is named after its largest town,
SolihullSolihull 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...
, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For
EurostatEurostat is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in Luxembourg. Its main responsibilities are to provide the European Union with statistical information at European level and to promote the integration of statistical methods across the Member States of the European Union,...
purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG32) and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands"
NUTS 2 regionIn the NUTS codes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , there are 38 level 2 statistical regions.-List of NUTS 2 statistical regions:-See also:* NUTS of the United Kingdom...
. Much of the large residential population in the north of the borough centres on the communities of
Castle BromwichCastle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
,
Chelmsley WoodChelmsley Wood is a neighbourhood, civil parish and large housing estate in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, England, with a population of 13,010. It is located near Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. It lies adjacent to Birmingham...
,
FordbridgeFordbridge is a civil parish and suburb between Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is in the West Midlands county, and also part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is east of Birmingham City Centre. It has a town council...
,
KingshurstKingshurst is a post war housing estate and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands. It lies about east of Birmingham city centre...
,
Marston GreenMarston Green is a village of around 5000 residents in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, approximately 7 miles from Birmingham.The village is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre...
and
Smith's WoodSmith's Wood is a residential area in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England. It is a civil parish with a population of 10,943, according to the 2001 census....
. In the south are the towns of Solihull and
ShirleyShirley 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:...
.
History
Solihull probably derived its name from a 'miry or muddy' or soily hill. The parish church was built on a hill of stiff red marl, which turned to sticky mud in wet weather.
In 1894, Solihull (including the parishes of Shirley, Baddesley Clinton, Barston, Lapworth, Balsall, Bushwood, Elmdon, Knowle, Nuthurst, Packwood and Tanworth-in-Arden) was made into the Solihull Rural District in the county of
WarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. In 1932 some of its rural areas were taken away when the RDC was succeeded by Solihull Urban District Council. Expansion continued and
Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
granted a charter in 1954 making Solihull into a
Municipal BoroughMunicipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
; ten years later it was given the status of
County BoroughCounty borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
. Reorganisation of boundaries and council responsibilities in 1974 created the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull by the merger of the
SolihullSolihull 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...
County BoroughCounty borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
and most of the
Meriden Rural DistrictThe Meriden Rural District was a rural district of Warwickshire, England, which existed between 1894 and 1974. Its headquarters were based in the small town of Coleshill....
, which forms the main rural part of the borough and county. It included Balsall Common, Barston, Berkswell, Bickenhill, Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Elmdon, Fordbridge, Hampton in Arden, Hockley Heath, Kingshurst, Knowle, Marston Green, Meriden, Olton, Smiths Wood, Solihull, Shirley and Temple Balsall.
In 1986 the Solihull borough effectively became a
unitary authorityA unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
when the
West Midlands County CouncilThe West Midlands County Council was, from 1974 to 1986, the upper-tier administrative body for the West Midlands county, a metropolitan county in England....
was abolished. It remains part of the West Midlands for
ceremonial purposesThe ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
, and for functions such as policing, fire and public transport.
Geography
The borough is bordered by the
M6The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
and the
M40The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
and split by the
M42The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre and Tamworth on the way. The section between the M40 and M6 road forms...
which divides the urban centre of the borough from the rural south and east. The borough’s transport links have led to a number of established large businesses being based in the borough, such as
Land RoverLand Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
, the
National Exhibition CentreThe National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
and Birmingham Airport. A short automatic light transport system links the airport to the nearby
Birmingham International railway stationBirmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England.The station is on the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line 14 km east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition...
. Around three quarters of the borough is greenbelt and a large proportion of that is worked farmland. The borough shares its boundaries with
BirminghamBirmingham 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...
to the west and north,
CoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
to the east,
WarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
to both the north and south and
WorcestershireWorcestershire 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...
to the south west. The borough contains a sizeable
ruralRural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
area known as the
Meriden GapThe Meriden Gap is a mostly rural area located in the West Midlands between Solihull and Coventry. It serves as a green belt which separates the latter from the large West Midlands conurbation, which includes Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The 'Gap' takes its name from the village central to the...
(after the village of
Meriden
) which serves as a
green beltA green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
separating the Birmingham conurbation from the city of
CoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
.
Council
Elections to the council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 51 seats on the council being elected at each election. Since the
2011 electionThe 2011 Solihull Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.Immeditely after...
The Conservative Party has had a majority on the council.
At the
2011 electionThe 2011 Solihull Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.Immeditely after...
to the council, the following members were returned:
| Year | ConservativeThe 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...
| Liberal Democrat | Labour 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...
| GreenThe Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
| Independent In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
|
| 2011 |
29 |
12 |
6 |
3 |
1 |
However, on 16th May 2011 Liberal Democrat Howard Allen
defectedIn politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
to the Green party giving them 4 seats and reducing the liberal democrats 11
For election purposes the council is divided up into the following wards based on civil parishes. Each ward is represented by three councillors:
- Bickenhill
Bickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.-History:...
- Blythe
The Blythe is a river in the English Midlands which runs from Warwickshire, through the borough of Solihull and on to Coleshill. It runs along the Meriden Gap in the Midlands Plateau,...
- Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
- Chelmsley Wood
Chelmsley Wood is a neighbourhood, civil parish and large housing estate in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, England, with a population of 13,010. It is located near Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. It lies adjacent to Birmingham...
- Dorridge
Dorridge is a village in the West Midlands borough of Solihull, England, with a population of 7800.-Location:Dorridge is to the East of the M40 and the South of the M42 which, along with a small but important green belt area, separates Dorridge and its neighbours of Knowle and Bentley Heath from...
and Hockley HeathHockley Heath is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England. The parish is to the south of the West Midlands conurbation, from Birmingham from Solihull and from Stratford on Avon...
- Elmdon
Elmdon is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the county of West Midlands, England.The name Elmdon means hill of the elms. It is primarily a residential area. It was formerly home to Elmdon Aerodrome, which is now Birmingham Airport...
- Kingshurst
Kingshurst is a post war housing estate and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands. It lies about east of Birmingham city centre...
and FordbridgeFordbridge is a civil parish and suburb between Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is in the West Midlands county, and also part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is east of Birmingham City Centre. It has a town council...
- Knowle
Knowle is a large village a few miles southeast of the town of Solihull, UK. Knowle lies within the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, and since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull within the West Midlands...
- Lyndon
Lyndon is a district within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands.The ancient monument of Hobs Moat is nearby, as is Hatchford Brook....
- Meriden
- 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...
- Shirley
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:...
East
- Shirley South
- Shirley West
- Silhill
- Smith's Wood
Smith's Wood is a residential area in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England. It is a civil parish with a population of 10,943, according to the 2001 census....
- St Alphege
Coat of arms
The constituent parts of the borough's coat of arms are:
- Battlements, sickles and an oak tree with golden acorns, which represent the rural and agricultural nature of the Forest of Arden.
- The Black Griffin is taken from the arms of the Earls of Aylesford
Earl of Aylesford, in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1714 for the lawyer and politician Heneage Finch, 1st Baron Guernsey. He had already been created Baron Guernsey in the Peerage of England in 1703...
, who are associated with Meriden.
- The Silver Fleur-de-lys comes from the Digby family, who were associated with Fordbridge.
- The Black Greyhound is taken from the arms of the Greswolds, the family who built the 15th century house called the Manor House in the High Street, Solihull.
A stylised version of the coat of arms can be seen on the top left of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's website pages, and the official, heraldic version appears on a dedicated page on the same site - external links below.
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Solihull at current basic prices
published (pp. 240–253) by
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year |
Regional Gross Value Added |
Agriculture |
Industry |
Services |
| 1995 |
1,929 |
12 |
496 |
1,421 |
| 2000 |
2,959 |
8 |
870 |
2,082 |
| 2003 |
4,023 |
8 |
1,121 |
2,893 |
includes hunting and forestry
includes energy and construction
includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
Settlements in Solihull
- See also List of areas in Solihull
Localities in the borough include:
- Balsall, Balsall Common
Balsall Common is a large village and one of the larger rural settlements in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, situated west of Coventry and to the east of Birmingham, to which it serves as a commuter village in the West Midlands. It is currently undergoing gradual suburbanisation and is...
, BarstonBarston is a village and civil parish in Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England. It is about six km east of Solihull and is located inside a large meander of the River Blythe. The nearest large city is Birmingham. According to the 2001 UK Census, the parish had a...
, Bentley HeathBentley Heath is a village in the West Midlands borough of Solihull, England.-Location:Bentley Heath is to the East of the M40 and the South of the M42 which, along with a small but important green belt area, separates Bentley Heath and its neighbours of Knowle and Dorridge from the greater urban...
, BerkswellBerkswell is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England.- Geography:It is in the east of the borough, borders Coventry and is about west of Coventry city centre.- History and places of interest :...
, BickenhillBickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.-History:...
, BlossomfieldBlosssomfield is a suburb of Solihull, West Midlands, UK. It is the location of the main campus of Solihull College as well as Alderbrook School and Tudor Grange School....
- Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
, Catherine-de-BarnesCatherine-de-Barnes is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands...
, Chadwick EndChadwick End is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English West Midlands area. Chadwick means 'farm near a spring'. Part of Chadwick End falls into the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull and part into Warwickshire....
, Chelmsley WoodChelmsley Wood is a neighbourhood, civil parish and large housing estate in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, England, with a population of 13,010. It is located near Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. It lies adjacent to Birmingham...
, Cheswick GreenCheswick Green is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It was previously part of the civil parish of Hockley Heath, and lies approximately south west of Solihull town centre....
, Coleshill Heath, Copt Heath
- Dickens Heath
Dickens Heath is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It was previously part of the civil parish of Hockley Heath, and is near Cheswick Green and Hollywood....
, DorridgeDorridge is a village in the West Midlands borough of Solihull, England, with a population of 7800.-Location:Dorridge is to the East of the M40 and the South of the M42 which, along with a small but important green belt area, separates Dorridge and its neighbours of Knowle and Bentley Heath from...
- Elmdon
Elmdon is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the county of West Midlands, England.The name Elmdon means hill of the elms. It is primarily a residential area. It was formerly home to Elmdon Aerodrome, which is now Birmingham Airport...
, Elmdon HeathElmdon Heath is an area of Solihull, West Midlands, United Kingdom. It is located to the north of the town centre, at a distance of approximately one mile. It is primarily residential, though there are a few shops, a garage, a community centre a secondary school, a primary school and a church centre...
- Fordbridge
Fordbridge is a civil parish and suburb between Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is in the West Midlands county, and also part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is east of Birmingham City Centre. It has a town council...
- Hampton-in-Arden
Hampton-in-Arden is a village and civil parish located within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. The village was previously located within the county of Warwickshire, until the 1974 county boundary changes. It lies in the countryside between Birmingham and Coventry...
, Hockley HeathHockley Heath is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England. The parish is to the south of the West Midlands conurbation, from Birmingham from Solihull and from Stratford on Avon...
- Kingshurst
Kingshurst is a post war housing estate and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands. It lies about east of Birmingham city centre...
, KnowleKnowle is a large village a few miles southeast of the town of Solihull, UK. Knowle lies within the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, and since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull within the West Midlands...
- Lyndon
Lyndon is a district within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands.The ancient monument of Hobs Moat is nearby, as is Hatchford Brook....
- Marston Green
Marston Green is a village of around 5000 residents in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, approximately 7 miles from Birmingham.The village is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre...
, Meriden
, Monkspath Street
- 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...
- Packwood
- Sharmans Cross, Shirley
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:...
, Silhill, Smith's WoodSmith's Wood is a residential area in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England. It is a civil parish with a population of 10,943, according to the 2001 census....
, SolihullSolihull 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...
- Temple Balsall
Temple Balsall is a hamlet within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English West Midlands, situated between the large villages of Knowle and Balsall Common. It was formerly in Warwickshire. It is on a notoriously bad bend on the B4101 Kenilworth Road.It is one of the oldest and most...
, Tidbury GreenTidbury Green is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the county of West Midlands in England.It is a comparatively modern settlement built during the 20th century....
- Whitlock's End
Notable people
- Michael Buerk
Michael Duncan Buerk is a BBC journalist and newsreader, most famous for his reporting of the Ethiopian famine on 23 October 1984, which inspired the Band Aid charity record.-Early life:...
- BBC news presenter and journalist was born and educated in Solihull.
- 51 breaks - Indie Prog band formed in Solihull
- Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
- Top Gear presenter and radio presenter was born in Solihull.
- Jasper Carrott
Jasper Carrott OBE is a British comedian, actor, television presenter and personality.-Early life:...
- Born and lived in the Solihull Area with his daughter Lucy DavisLucy Clare Davis is an English actress. She is best known for playing the character Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy The Office and as Dianne in the horror-comedy movie Shaun of the Dead.-Career:...
- Martin Johnson - Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
- winning England team captain and later their manager was born in Solihull.
External links