Solihull West and Shirley

Solihull West and Shirley is a constituency in West Midlands county in England, within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. It covers the town centre and southern neighbourhoods of Solihull, the town of Shirley, the suburban neighbourhoods of Olton and Monkspath and the outlying villages of Dickens Heath and Cheswick Green.

Solihull and Shirley are affluent,^[5] suburban towns on the outskirts of Birmingham. They are located around 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of the city centre and form part of the wider West Midlands conurbation. Unlike the rest of this area, Solihull largely avoided industrialisation and remained a small market town until its 20th-century suburban expansion. Solihull mostly consists of detached properties whilst a majority of households in Shirley are denser, semi-detached houses.^[6] House prices across the constituency are generally higher than the UK average and considerably higher than the rest of the West Midlands region.^[7]

Solihull West and Shirley has an above-average retired population and a low proportion of young adults.^[8] Residents have high rates of income and homeownership,^[7] and the child poverty rate is around half the nationwide figure.^[9] They are generally well-educated and a high proportion work in the manufacturing and business administration sectors.^[7][10] The percentage of residents claiming unemployment benefits is low.^[9] White people made up 77% of the population at the 2021 census. Asians, mostly of Indian or Pakistani origin, were the largest ethnic minority group at 16%.^[11]

The constituency is politically mixed at the local borough council; Solihull and the outlying villages are represented by Conservatives, Shirley by Green Party and Reform UK councillors and the northern suburbs by Liberal Democrats. An estimated 52% of voters in Solihull West and Shirley supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, identical to the UK-wide figure.^[7]

The constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull wards of: Blythe; Lyndon; Olton; St. Alphege; Shirley East; Shirley South; Shirley West.^[12]

It contains the following areas:^[13]

• Blythe ward (17.9% of this constituency) from the previous Meriden constituency (abolished)
• The majority (82.1%) of the previous Solihull constituency (abolished)

Solihull prior to 2024

• List of parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county)
• List of parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands (region)