Birmingham Hall Green

Map of 2010-2024 boundaries

1950–1955: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Hall Green, Sparkhill and Springfield.^[5]

1955–1974: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Brandwood, Hall Green, and Springfield.^[6]

1974–1983: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Billesley, Brandwood, and Hall Green.

1983–1997: The City of Birmingham wards of Billesley, Brandwood, and Hall Green (as they existed on 1 February 1983).

1997–2010: The City of Birmingham wards of Billesley, Brandwood, and Hall Green (as they existed on 1 June 1994).

2010–2024: The City of Birmingham wards of Hall Green, Moseley and King's Heath, Sparkbrook, and Springfield (as they existed on 12 April 2005).

Under the Fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the Boundary Commission for England created a significantly modified version of the Hall Green seat which contained only a third of the constituency which existed for the 1997 general election, being the ward of Hall Green itself. The majority of the newly drawn constituency comprised the two wards of Sparkbrook and Springfield from the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency which was abolished at the 2010 general election. Moseley and King's Heath were transferred in from Birmingham, Selly Oak which now included Billesley and Brandwood.

Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the Boundary Commission abolished the constituency and created the new seat of Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley with similar boundaries (minor gains and losses to Birmingham Ladywood, Birmingham Selly Oak, and Birmingham Yardley due to changes to ward boundaries in 2018).

The constituency is an inner suburban seat, on the fringes of the city centre to its north and bordering Solihull in the east and south. The number of non-whites (64.5%) is high compared to the rest of the city (42%),^[7] as is the proportion of social housing (25.7%), with both figures higher than the national average. The area is home to a high number of public parks, open space and numerous tree-lined streets.^[8][9]

A famous landmark is Sarehole Mill, where J.R.R. Tolkien spent his boyhood, and which provided the inspiration for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Many constituents were employed in the car industry – notably Rover's nearby factories, which have now closed down.

Summary of results

The 2015 result made the seat the 28th-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.^[10]

In the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, the constituency voted to remain in the European Union with nearly two thirds of the vote, the strongest in Birmingham, despite the then MP Roger Godsiff's pro-Brexit stance.^[11] It was thus the most pro-EU constituency outside of Greater London to be represented by a pro-Brexit MP. Despite the Leave side winning the referendum, Godsiff did not vote to trigger Article 50 in the Parliament out of respect for his constituents' wishes.^[12]

The 2017 result made it the 12th-safest seat in the UK, with a majority of 62.5% of the vote.^[4]

Hall Green, on various boundaries, elected a Conservative MP throughout the period from 1950 to 1997, and formed, with Birmingham, Edgbaston, the last of the Birmingham seats during the 1979–1997 Conservative governments lost to Labour in 1997. This was the first time a Labour candidate had won the seat since it was created in 1950.

The 2015 result saw a 26.9% swing to the Labour Party and a correspondingly much greater-than-national-average swing away from the Liberal Democrat candidate. This was in part due to the collapse of Respect's vote.

Turnout

Turnout has ranged from 83.1% in 1950 to 57.5% in 2001.

Birmingham Acock's Green and Birmingham Moseley prior to 1950

• Parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county)