MP for Chelmsley Wood? Examining plans to change your local constituency

MAPPED OUT: The proposed boundaries
of Chelmsley Wood and Solihull North

IF a new set of plans is pushed through, there could be an MP for Chelmsley Wood sitting in Parliament in a few years’ time.
Or, to be more precise, an MP for Chelmsley Wood and Solihull North – the full name of the new constituency which was first revealed last month.
The change is part of a nationwide shake-up of electoral boundaries, set to take effect in time for the next General Election (currently scheduled for 2020.)
Locally it could potentially mean a new MP from a new party representing a very different area. Other Side of Solihull looks at some of the main issues surrounding the change.

1. New boundaries: Meriden - the seat that North Solihull is currently part of - is the largest (geographically speaking) in the West Midlands.
Its size makes it incredibly diverse, from the council estates of the north to the great acres of farmland and small villages to the south.
The new seat is a lot more compact and will be dominated by urban areas. As the new name suggests, North Solihull would be very much the centre of the constituency, rather than on the margins.
The north of the borough would be grouped with Elmdon and Lyndon, two suburbs on the other side of the Coventry Road, and the Sheldon district of Birmingham.
A few remaining rural communities, including Barston and Hampton-in-Arden (right), would also be part of the seat.

2. New name: Some residents have made the point that Chelmsley Wood is in fact part of North Solihull, so a new name including both could be confusing.
With locals having a chance to give their opinion on the proposals, there’s a chance that the name may change before the plans are finalised.

3. New parties: Meriden has been held by the Conservatives since the 1970s and, with a good number of prosperous neighbourhoods, it is considered one of the party’s “safe seats”.
Chelmsley Wood and Solihull North would be a far harder seat for the Tories to win, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that Labour would ease to power.
If anything the area would be a real political chameleon - as it stands, the eight wards which would make up the constituency have councillors from five different parties.
The Lib Dems, who have lately stopped fielding candidates in the north of the borough, nonetheless command significant support in areas including Sheldon and Elmdon. UKIP - who are growing support in traditional working class areas - and the Greens, the dominant force in North Solihull, complete the colourful political map.

4. New MP?: Caroline Spelman has been the MP for Meriden since 1997 and has increased her majority over the course of almost 20 years. The new boundaries, however, would leave her with something of a dilemma.
Five of the nine wards from her current seat will be part of Chelmsley Wood and Solihull North, but the majority of areas where she enjoys the greatest backing are set to be moved elsewhere - where she is likely to face a tougher fight to be named the Tory candidate.
Mrs Spelman has raised a number of concerns about the new look boundaries, including the fact that constituencies can now include areas from more than one council area.
She said: "The splitting of constituencies across local authority boundaries; such as Hampton-in-Arden in the new Chelmsley Wood and Solihull North constituency, and Balsall Common in Meriden and Coventry West, are ill-conceived and will cause significant problems of administration by flying in the face of historic local ties."
She also believes that the new arrangements will undermine work to unite Solihull borough, going so far as to set up a petition against the proposals.

5. New voters: The Government’s main argument for the boundary changes is that it will mean that almost every constituency has a similar number of voters.
Chelmsley Wood and Solihull North (77,400) would have a slightly smaller electorate than Meriden (around 83,400). Interestingly, the most densely populated part of the new seat would be Sheldon, where more than 15,000 people are eligible to vote.

6. New neighbours: There would also be various changes to the nearby constituencies. Solihull would be rebranded Shirley and Solihull South and would retain many of the same neighbourhoods, although it would also encompass some of the leafier parts of Meriden as well as Tanworth-in-Arden, in Warwickshire. Other areas of Meriden, including Knowle and Balsall Common, would be bound up with the western parts of Coventry.

You can have your say on the proposals at the Boundary Commission website.