Birmingham Small Heath (UK Parliament constituency)

Template:Short description Template:Infobox UK constituency main Birmingham Small Heath was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Small Heath area of Birmingham. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) 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.

Boundaries

Throughout its existence the constituency (as can be inferred from its name) included 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 city centre in the 1983 redistribution.

1950–1955: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Duddeston, Saltley, and Small Heath. Before 1950 Duddeston ward had been part of Birmingham Duddeston and the other two wards had been part of Birmingham Yardley.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Deritend, Saltley, and Small Heath. Deritend ward was formerly part of Birmingham Sparkbrook. Duddeston ward was transferred to Birmingham Ladywood.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Duddeston, Newtown, Saltley, and Small Heath. Duddeston ward had formerly been in Birmingham Ladywood. Deritend ward was transferred to Birmingham Edgbaston.

1983–1997: The City of Birmingham wards of Aston, Nechells, and Small Heath. 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, while Aston and Nechells wards became part of the redrawn Birmingham Ladywood.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party	Notes
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1950	Fred Longden	Labour	Died October 1952
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1952 by-election	William Wheeldon	Labour	Died October 1960
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1961 by-election	Denis Howell	Labour	Previously MP for Birmingham All Saints 1955–59; Minister for Sport 1964-70 & 1974-79
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1992	Roger Godsiff	Labour	Subsequently, MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath
	1997	constituency abolished: see Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath

Election results

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Fred Longden	Template:Replace	62.8
		J. Pagett	15,556	30.6
		F.G. Smith	3,365	6.6
Majority			16,429	32.2
Turnout			50,906	79.3
	win (new seat)

General election 1951: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Fred Longden	Template:Replace	63.4
		Francis Charles Irwin	15,156	30.9
		F.G. Smith	2,779	5.7
Majority			15,923	32.5
Turnout			49,014	77.2
	hold		Swing	+0.5

1952 Birmingham Small Heath by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Wheeldon	Template:Replace	67.0
		Edith Pitt	9,614	33.0
Majority			9,877	34.0
Turnout			29,105	46.6
	hold		Swing	−2.9

General election 1955: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Wheeldon	Template:Replace	60.8
		John William Bissell	14,484	39.2
Majority			7,960	21.6
Turnout			36,928	65.8
	hold		Swing	−6.2

General election 1959: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Wheeldon	Template:Replace	57.4
		Bernard Charles Owens	14,282	42.6
Majority			4,931	14.8
Turnout			33,495	65.7
	hold		Swing	−3.4

Elections in the 1960s

1961 Birmingham Small Heath by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	59.2
		Bernard Charles Owens	5,923	28.8
		W. Kirk	2,476	12.0
Majority			6,259	30.4
Turnout			20,581	42.6
	hold		Swing	−7.8

General election 1964: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	60.4
		Anthony J Prescott	10,233	36.3
		George Jelf	926	3.3
Majority			6,777	24.1
Turnout			28,169	60.9
	hold		Swing	+4.4

General election 1966: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	69.5
		Francis Henry Gerard Heron Goodhart	7,471	28.7
		George Jelf	477	1.8
Majority			10,604	40.8
Turnout			26,023	59.6
	hold		Swing	+8.4

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	61.1
		Nicholas Budgen	6,923	30.6
		Gordon H. Herringshaw	1,754	7.8
	British Commonwealth Party	Saeeduz Zafar	117	0.5
Majority			6,871	30.5
Turnout			22,588	57.9
	hold		Swing	−5.2

General election February 1974: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	57.3
		D.G. Minnis	7,441	22.1
		R. O'Connor	6,941	20.6
Majority			11,878.	35.2
Turnout			33,701	66.0
	hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	66.5
		R. O'Connor	5,648	19.1
		D. Caney	4,260	14.4
Majority			14,055	47.4
Turnout			29,611	57.6
	hold		Swing	+5.4

General election 1979: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	60.5
		D.J. Savage	6,268	21.4
		D.G. Minnis	4,470	15.2
		M. Caffery	490	1.7
		C.C. Adamson	349	1.2
Majority			11,467	39.1
Turnout			29,312	62.9
	hold		Swing	−4.2

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	63.8
		Paul Nischal	7,262	20.2
		Andrew Bostock	5,722	16.0
Majority			15,612	43.6
Turnout			35,858	60.4
	hold		Swing	+2.3

General election 1987: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Denis Howell	Template:Replace	66.3
		Paul Nischal	7,266	21.1
		John Hemming	3,600	10.5
		Alan Clawley	559	1.6
		Peter Sheppard	154	0.5
Majority			15,521	45.2
Turnout			34,366	60.6
	hold		Swing	+1.7

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Birmingham Small Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Roger Godsiff	Template:Replace	65.3
		Abdul Chaudhary	8,686	24.8
		Haydn A. Thomas	2,515	7.2
		Hazel M. Clawley	824	2.4
Majority			13,989	40.5
Turnout			34,700	62.8
	hold		Swing	−2.4

See also

• List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies

References

• Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
• British Parliamentary Constituencies: A Statistical Compendium, by Ivor Crewe and Anthony Fox (Faber and Faber 1984)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1974-1983, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1984)
• Britain Votes 4, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1988)
• Britain Votes 5, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher (Parliamentary Research Services - Dartmouth Publishing 1993)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)