Birmingham Small Heath (UK Parliament constituency)

Birmingham Small Heath
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1950 (1950)1997 (1997)
Number of members One
Replaced by Birmingham Sparkbrook & Small Heath and Birmingham Ladywood
Created from Birmingham Duddeston and Birmingham Yardley

Birmingham Small Heath was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Small Heath area of Birmingham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The constituency was created for the 1950 general election, and abolished for the 1997 general election, when it was partly replaced by the new Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency.

Contents

Boundaries

Throughout its existence the constituency included the Small Heath ward, but that district was linked with various adjoining parts of the inner-city area of Birmingham. In its first three incarnations the constituency was to the south east of the city centre. Its boundaries moved more to the east of the centre in the 1983 redistribution.

1950-1955: The constituency comprised the then Birmingham City Council wards of Duddeston, Saltley and Small Heath. Before 1950 Duddeston ward had been part of Birmingham Duddeston constituency and the other two wards had formed part of Birmingham Yardley.

1955-1974: Duddeston ward was transferred to Birmingham Ladywood. Deritend ward was added to this constituency having formerly been part of Birmingham Sparkbrook. Saltley and Small Heath wards were not affected by the redistribution.

1974-1983: The division, in this redistribution, comprised Duddeston, Newtown, Saltley and Small Heath wards. Duddeston ward had formerly been in Birmingham Ladywood. Deritend ward was transferred to Birmingham Edgbaston.

1983-1997: The new version of the constituency consisted of Aston, Nechells and Small Heath wards. 72.7% of the new constituency came from the old one, 11.9% from Birmingham Handsworth (Aston ward) and smaller amounts from Birmingham Sparkbrook (6.1%), Birmingham Erdington (4.9%), Birmingham Yardley (2.6%) and Birmingham Ladywood (1.7%).

In the 1997 redistribution this constituency disappeared. Small Heath ward joined a new seat of Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath. Aston and Nechells wards became part of Birmingham Ladywood.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1950 Fred Longden Labour Co-operative
1952 by-election William Wheeldon Labour Co-operative
1961 by-election Denis Howell Labour
1992 Roger Godsiff Labour
1997 constituency abolished: see Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath

Election results

Explanatory notes:-

General Election 1950: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Fred Longden 31,985 62.8 N/A
Conservative J. Pagett 15,556 30.6 N/A
Liberal F.G. Smith 3,365 6.6 N/A
Majority 16,429 32.2 N/A
Turnout 64,233 79.3 N/A
Labour Co-op gain from new seat Swing N/A
General Election 1951: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Fred Longden 31,079 63.4 +0.6
Conservative F. Irwin 15,156 30.9 +0.3
Liberal F.G. Smith 2,779 5.7 -0.9
Majority 15,923 32.5 +0.3
Turnout 63,504 77.2 -2.1
Labour Co-op hold Swing -0.45
By-Election 27 November 1952: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op William Edwin Wheeldon 19,491 67.0 +3.6
Conservative Edith Maud Pitt 9,614 33.0 +2.1
Majority 9,877 34.0 +1.5
Turnout 62,459 46.6 -30.6
Labour Co-op hold Swing -2.85
General Election 1955: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op William Edwin Wheeldon 22,444 60.8 -6.2
Conservative J.W. Bissell 14,484 39.2 +6.2
Majority 7,960 21.6 -12.4
Turnout 56,101 65.8 +9.2
Labour Co-op hold Swing +6.2
General Election 1959: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op William Edwin Wheeldon 19,213 57.4 -3.4
Conservative B.C. Owens 14,282 42.6 +3.4
Majority 4,931 14.8 -6.8
Turnout 51,004 65.7 -0.1
Labour Co-op hold Swing +3.4
By-Election 23 March 1961: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 12,182 59.2 +1.8
Conservative B.C. Owens 5,923 28.8 -13.8
Liberal W. Kirk 2,476 12.0 +12.0
Majority 6,259 30.4 +15.6
Turnout 48,318 42.6 -23.1
Labour hold Swing -7.8
General Election 1964: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 17,010 60.4 +1.2
Conservative A.J. Prescott 10,233 36.3 +7.5
Communist G. Jelf 926 3.3 +3.3
Majority 6,777 24.1 -6.3
Turnout 46,268 60.9 +18.3
Labour hold Swing +4.35
General Election 1966: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 18,075 69.5 +9.1
Conservative F.H.G.H. Goodhart 7,471 28.7 -7.6
Communist G. Jelf 477 1.8 -1.5
Majority 10,604 40.8 +16.7
Turnout 43,686 59.6 -1.3
Labour hold Swing -8.35
General Election 1970: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 13,794 61.1 -8.4
Conservative Nicholas Budgen 6,923 30.6 +1.9
Liberal G.H. Herringshaw 1,754 7.8 +7.8
British Commonwealth S. Zafar 117 0.5 +0.5
Majority 6,871 30.5 -10.3
Turnout 38,979 57.9 -1.7
Labour hold Swing +5.15
General Election February 1974: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 19,319 57.3 -3.8
Liberal D.G. Minnis 7,441 22.1 +14.3
Conservative R. O'Connor 6,941 20.6 -14.0
Majority 11,878 35.2 +4.7
Turnout 51,056 66.0 +8.1
Labour hold Swing N/A
General Election October 1974: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 19,703 66.5 +9.2
Conservative R. O'Connor 5,648 19.1 -1.5
Liberal D. Caney 4,260 14.4 -7.7
Majority 14,055 47.4 +12.2
Turnout 51,394 57.6 -8.4
Labour hold Swing N/A
General Election 1979: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 17,735 60.5 -6.0
Conservative D.J. Savage 6,268 21.4 +2.3
Liberal D.G. Minnis 4,470 15.2 +0.8
National Front M. Caffery 490 1.7 +1.7
Socialist Unity C.C. Adamson 349 1.2 +1.2
Majority 11,467 39.1 -8.3
Turnout 46,602 62.9 +5.3
Labour hold Swing +4.15
General Election 1983: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 22,874 63.8 +3.3
Conservative Paul Nischal 7,262 20.2 -1.2
Social Democrat A.M. Bostock 5,722 16.0 +0.8
Majority 15,612 43.6 +4.5
Turnout 59,376 60.4 -2.5
Labour hold Swing -2.25
General Election 1987: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denis Herbert Howell 22,787 66.3 +2.5
Conservative Paul Nischal 7,266 21.1 +0.9
Liberal John Hemming 3,600 10.5 -5.5
Green A. Clawley 559 1.6 +1.6
Communist P.R. Sheppard 154 0.5 +0.5
Majority 15,521 45.2 +1.6
Turnout 56,722 60.6 +0.2
Labour hold Swing -1.7
General Election 1992: Birmingham Small Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Duncan Godsiff 22,675 65.3 -1.0
Conservative M.J. Khamisa 8,544 24.8 +3.7
Liberal Democrat H.A. Thomas 2,515 7.2 -3.2
Green Ms H.M. Clawley 824 2.4 +0.7
Majority 13,989 40.3 -4.9
Turnout 55,233 62.8 +2.2
Labour hold Swing +2.35

See also

References