Birmingham Hodge Hill (UK Parliament constituency)

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Birmingham, Hodge Hill

Borough constituency
Birmingham, Hodge Hill shown within Birmingham, and Birmingham shown within England
Created:	1983
MP:	Liam Byrne
Party:	Labour
Type:	House of Commons
County:	West Midlands
EP constituency:	West Midlands

Birmingham, Hodge Hill is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The constituency was created in 1983.

[edit] Boundaries

The constituency covers a diverse area of east Birmingham, including the predominantly Asian inner-city area of Washwood Heath and the mostly white area of Shard End on the city's eastern boundary, as well as Hodge Hill itself. The constituency is one of the most deprived in the region and contains very few middle-class residents.

When the Hodge Hill area committee district of Birmingham was created in 2004 its boundaries were those of the constituency.

[edit] Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Birmingham and the West Midlands, the Boundary Commission for England have created a modified Hodge Hill constituency with the following electoral wards:

• Bordesley Green, Hodge Hill, Shard End and Washwood Heath

[edit] History

The constituency was created with its current name in 1983. It is predated by Birmingham Stechford.

Birmingham, Hodge Hill is a traditionally Labour area, normally seeing large majorities for the party. However in 2004 the appointment of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Terry Davis, as secretary general of the Council of Europe resulted in a fiercely contested by-election. Along with a by-election in Leicester South held on the same day, the seat saw a fierce challenge by the Liberal Democrats, hoping to build on their previous by-election gain at Brent East, as well as competition for the anti-war vote from RESPECT The Unity Coalition. On a low turnout Labour's Liam Byrne held the seat by a margin of just 460 votes over the Liberal Democrats, with RESPECT taking over 1000 votes.

[edit] Members of Parliament

The current Member of Parliament is Liam Byrne of the Labour Party, who was elected in the 2004 by-election. He succeeded Terry Davis, who had held the seat since its creation 21 years earlier. Terry Davis was first elected in the 1983 general election. Before that he had held the now historic constituency of Birmingham Stechford, since the 1979 general election.

[edit] Elections

Note: percentage changes are from the figures at the 2001 general election, not the 2004 by-election.

[edit] See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands