Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Solihull Council, is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority since 2016.
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
Paul Johnson since July 2023[2] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 51 councillors[3] |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Motto | |
| Urbs in Rure | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Council House, Manor Square, Solihull, B91 3QB | |
| Website | |
| solihull | |
The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2011. It is based at the Council House on Manor Square in Solihull.
History
editUntil 1932, the town of Solihull was administered as a rural parish with a parish council subordinate to the larger Solihull Rural District Council. As Solihull rapidly developed in the twentieth century, it was promoted to higher statuses within the administrative hierarchy, becoming an urban district in 1932, then a municipal borough in 1954, and then a county borough in 1964, taking over county-level functions from Warwickshire County Council.[4]
The modern metropolitan borough and its council were established in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as one of seven boroughs in the new metropolitan county of the West Midlands. The new borough covered the combined area of the old county borough of Solihull plus ten parishes from the Meriden Rural District and one parish (Hockley Heath) from the Stratford-on-Avon Rural District.[5] The enlarged district was named Solihull, and the borough status previously held by the county borough passed to the new district on its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Solihull's series of mayors dating back to its first incorporation as a borough in 1954.[6][7]
From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the West Midlands County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the county's seven borough councils, including Solihull, with some services provided through joint committees.[8]
Since 2016 the council has been a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of the West Midlands since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across the county, but Solihull Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.[9][10]
Governance
editSolihull Council provides metropolitan borough services. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the West Midlands Combined Authority; the leader and deputy leader of the council sit on the board of the combined authority as Solihull's representatives.[11] Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas.[12]
Political control
editThe council has been under Conservative majority control since 2011.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:[13][14]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1991 | |
| No overall control | 1991–2000 | |
| Conservative | 2000–2007 | |
| No overall control | 2007–2008 | |
| Conservative | 2008–2010 | |
| No overall control | 2010–2011 | |
| Conservative | 2011–present | |
Leadership
editThe role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Solihull. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2005 have been:[15]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Richards[16] | Conservative | pre-2005 | 15 May 2007 | |
| Ken Meeson | Conservative | 15 May 2007 | 25 May 2010 | |
| Ian Hedley[17] | Liberal Democrats | 25 May 2010 | 24 May 2011 | |
| Ken Meeson | Conservative | 24 May 2011 | 10 Jun 2014 | |
| Bob Sleigh | Conservative | 10 Jun 2014 | 14 May 2019 | |
| Ian Courts | Conservative | 14 May 2019 | ||
Composition
editFollowing the 2024 election and a change of allegiance in June 2024, the composition of the council was:[18][19]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 31 | |
| Green | 9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 8 | |
| Independent | 2 | |
| Labour | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | |
The next election is due in May 2026.
The Green Party have been the largest opposition party since 2014.[20]
Elections
editSince the last boundary changes in 2004, the council has comprised 51 councillors representing 17 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[21]
Premises
edit
The council is based at the Council House on Manor Square in the centre of Solihull and adjoining buildings, notably including Church Hill House and the Civic Suite. The latter includes the council chamber and forms part of the same building as the town's register office. Church Hill House was completed in 1967 and the Civic Suite followed in 1968, both being purpose-built for the old borough council.[22][23] The Council House (originally called Orchard House) was subsequently built in front of Church Hill House, opening in 1989.[24][25]
References
edit- ^ Greenway, Sam; Khan, Shehnaz (18 May 2024). "Borough welcomes its first Muslim mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Cramp, Thomas (5 July 2023). "Solihull council announce new chief executive with pay of up to £185,000". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Open Council Data UK - compositions councillors parties wards elections". opencouncildata.co.uk.
- ^ "Solihull Urban District / Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 13 June 2024
- ^ "The Metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/137, retrieved 14 February 2024
- ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ "The West Midlands Combined Authority Order 2016", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2016/653, retrieved 11 June 2024
- ^ "Understand how your council works". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Contact details WMCA Board". West Midlands Combined Authority. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ "Solihull". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "Council minutes". Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Tories lose control of Solihull". Business Live. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Lib Dem and Labour coalition agreed at Solihull council". BBC News. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England". The Guardian. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Solihull Councillor crosses the floor to join Conservatives". Solihull Observer. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Greens Celebrate Becoming 2nd Largest Party on Solihull Council". solihull.greenparty.org.uk.
- ^ "The Borough of Solihull (Electoral Changes) Order 2003", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2003/2508, retrieved 12 June 2024
- ^ "Council's new HQ in use today". Birmingham Post. 11 September 1967. p. 26. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Public must feel welcome - Mayor". Birmingham Post. 21 May 1968. p. 45. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Shape of things to come". Solihull News. 24 March 1989. p. 10. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Church Hill House Refurbishment: Heritage Report (PDF). Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. 2015. p. 15. Retrieved 13 June 2024. Report accompanying planning application PL/2015/51507/PPFL