Solihull

Coordinates: 52°24′47″N 1°46′41″W / 52.413°N 1.778°W / 52.413; -1.778

Solihull (/ˈsɒlᵻhʌl/ or /ˈsoʊliːhʌl/ or /soʊliˈhʌl/) is a large town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753, being measured as 206,700 at the 2011 Census. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 8 miles (14.5 km) southeast of Birmingham city centre. It is the largest town in, and administrative centre of, the larger Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which itself has a population of 200,400.

Solihull is one of the most prosperous towns in the English Midlands. In November 2013, the uSwitch Quality of Life Index named Solihull the "best place to live" in the United Kingdom. Residents of Solihull and those born in the town are referred to as Silhillians. The motto of Solihull is Urbs in Rure (Town in Country).

History

Toponymy

Solihull's name is commonly thought to have derived from the position of its parish church, St Alphege, on a 'soily' hill. The church was built on a hill of stiff red marl, which turned to sticky mud in wet weather.

Solihull (UK Parliament constituency)

Solihull is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Julian Knight, a Conservative.

Boundaries

1945-1974: The Urban District of Solihull.

1974-1983: The County Borough of Solihull.

1983-present: The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull wards of Elmdon, Lyndon, Olton, St Alphege, Shirley East, Shirley South, Shirley West, and Silhill.

The constituency is one of two covering the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. 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.

History

The Conservative Party 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.

Metropolitan 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 (code UKG32) and is one of seven boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region. Much of the large residential population in the north of the borough centres on the communities of Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Fordbridge, Kingshurst, Marston Green and Smith's Wood. In the south are the towns of Solihull and Shirley.

Since 2011, Solihull has formed part of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership along with neighbouring authorities Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Redditch, Tamworth and Wyre Forest.

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.