Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Solihull Council, is the

local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

for the

Metropolitan Borough of Solihull The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough in West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purpose ...

in the West Midlands, England. It is a

metropolitan borough council A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropol ...

and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the

West Midlands Combined Authority The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is the combined authority for the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom. It was established on 17 June 2016 by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development ...

since 2016. The council has been under

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

majority control since 2011. It is based at the Council House on Manor Square in

Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...

History

Until 1932, the town of Solihull was administered as a rural parish with a parish council subordinate to the larger Solihull

Rural District A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. I ...

Council. As Solihull rapidly developed in the twentieth century, it was promoted to higher statuses within the administrative hierarchy, becoming an

urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

in 1932, then a

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

in 1954, and then a county borough in 1964, taking over county-level functions from

Warwickshire County Council Warwickshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire in England. Its headquarters are at Shire Hall in the centre of Warwick, the county town. The council's principal functions are county ro ...

. The modern

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of districts of England, local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan distr ...

and its council were established in 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, 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 Hockley Heath is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England. The village is to the south of the West Midlands conurbation, southeast of Birmingham from Solihull town centre and north of St ...

) from the Stratford-on-Avon Rural District. The enlarged district was named Solihull, and the

borough status Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, si ...

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. 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. Since 2016 the council has been a member of the

, which has been led by the directly elected

Mayor of the West Midlands The mayor of the West Midlands is a directly elected political post who chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority, covering the local authorities serving Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. The most ...

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.

Governance

Solihull Council provides

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. Parts of the borough are covered by

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

es, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas.

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2011. Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Solihull. Political leadership is instead provided by the

leader of the council Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

. The leaders since 2005 have been:

Composition

Following the 2024 election and a change of allegiance in June 2024, the composition of the council was: The next election is due in May 2026. The

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

have been the largest opposition party since 2014.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2004, the council has comprised 51

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s 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.

Premises

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. The Council House (originally called Orchard House) was subsequently built in front of Church Hill House, opening in 1989. Report accompanying planning application PL/2015/51507/PPFL

References

{{Metropolitan districts of England Metropolitan district councils of England Local authorities in the West Midlands (county) Leader and cabinet executives Local education authorities in England Billing authorities in England 1974 establishments in England

Borough Council A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...