Stourbridge is a constituency in the West Midlands represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Cat Eccles of the Labour Party.

Constituency profile

Stourbridge is a constituency in the West Midlands county of England. It covers the towns of Stourbridge, Lye, Brierley Hill and Netherton.

This constituency forms part of the Black Country, an area of contiguous towns to the west of Birmingham with an industrial heritage. Stourbridge was traditionally the national centre for glassmaking whilst Lye, Brierley Hill and Netherton had significant steelmaking, brickmaking and coal mining industries. Lye, Brierley Hill and Netherton were negatively affected by the deindustrialisation of the late 20th century and are still highly-deprived today; most residents of these towns live in semi-detached properties, many of which are socially rented. Stourbridge, in comparison, is mostly affluent and suburban, especially in Withymoor Village and Pedmore. House prices across the constituency are generally similar to the rest of the West Midlands region but lower than the UK average.

Stourbridge has an above-average retired population. Residents have average levels of income and homeownership but high rates of child poverty. They have low levels of education and a high proportion work in the retail and manufacturing sectors. The percentage claiming unemployment benefits is high. White people made up 87% of the population at the 2021 census.

At the local borough council, Lye and Netherton are mostly represented by the Labour Party and Stourbridge and Brierley Hill mostly by Conservatives, although Reform UK councillors were elected across the constituency at the most recent election in 2026. Voters in the Stourbridge constituency strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 64% voted in favour of Brexit compared to the UK-wide figure of 52%.

Boundaries

Historic 1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Stourbridge, the Urban Districts of Lye and Wollescote, and Oldbury, and the Rural District of Halesowen.

1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley wards of Amblecote, Lye and Wollescote, Norton, Pedmore and Stourbridge East, Quarry Bank and Cradley, and Wollaston and Stourbridge West.

2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley wards of Amblecote, Cradley and Foxcote, Lye and Wollescote, Norton, Pedmore and Stourbridge East, Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood, and Wollaston and Stourbridge Town.

Current Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which became effective for the 2024 general election, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley wards of: Amblecote; Brierley Hill; Lye and Stourbridge North; Netherton, Woodside and St. Andrews; Norton; Pedmore and Stourbridge East; Wollaston and Stourbridge Town.

The seat was subject to significant boundary changes. These entailed the loss of the areas of Cradley, Wollescote, Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood which were moved to the new constituency of Halesowen, offset by the gain of Brierley Hill, Netherton and Woodside from the abolished constituency of Dudley South.

Further to a local government boundary review in Dudley which became effective from May 2024, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:

The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley wards of: Amblecote; Brierley Hill & Wordsley South; Lye & Stourbridge North; Netherton & Holly Hall; Norton; Pedmore & Stourbridge East; Wollaston & Stourbridge Town.

Stourbridge is one of three constituencies principally in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley (alongside Dudley and Halesowen), covering the south-west of the borough.

History 1918–1950

Stourbridge was one of just seventeen constituencies to have a woman candidate, Mary Macarthur, to contest the 1918 general election, the first occasion some women could vote and stand in Parliamentary elections. She stood as the Labour Party candidate. Macarthur was a trades union leader and well known in the area. However the returning officer insisted she should be listed under her married name, Mrs W. C. Anderson.Hallam, David J. A. Taking on the Men: the first women parliamentary candidates 1918, Studley 2018, chapter 3 "Mary Macarthur in Stourbridge".

During this period no ministerial roles happened to have been awarded to any of the members. Prominent members in social history include Wilfred Wellock, who wrote 13 publications, and was an early Gandhian as well as a promoter of increased localism. At the end of this period, Lord Moyle (as he became) went on to serve Oldbury and Halesowen until 1964 and in the ballot for private member's bills achieved three to legislate in respect of: Humane Slaughter of Horses Air Pollution Children of the divorced (custody etc.) as recommended by the Royal Commission

The constituency was abolished in 1950, with the Stourbridge West and Stourbridge East wards being incorporated into the Dudley constituency. An Eastern section of the old constituency was included in the new Oldbury and Halesowen seat.

1997–date Since its recreation in 1997, the seat has been a bellwether, elected an MP at each general election from the party that formed the Government.

The seat's forerunner, Halesowen and Stourbridge, created in 1974, was held by a Conservative and both of its replacements, including this seat, were taken by Labour in 1997. The smaller remainder of the eastern part of the predecessor forms part of Halesowen and Rowley Regis. To compensate for the loss of these areas, Amblecote ward was brought in from the Dudley West constituency, while the Quarry Bank & Cradley ward was brought in from Dudley East.

Labour retained the seat by just above a marginal majority at the general election in 2001, and retained it again in 2005, with a new candidate, Lynda Waltho, with a marginal majority of 1% of the vote.

Margot James regained the seat for the Conservatives at the 2010 election, retaining it with increased majorities in 2015 and 2017. James had the Conservative whip withdrawn in September 2019 and, although it was restored, she did not stand at the 2019 election and fellow Conservative Suzanne Webb was elected with over 60% of the vote.

In 2024, the seat reverted back to Labour with the election of Cat Eccles with a majority of 7.7%.

In 2015, Pete Lowe, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Stourbridge had his own beer brewed. 'Born Bred Believes' was brewed by Kinver Brewery in support of his candidacy.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1918–1950 ElectionMemberParty 1918 John William Wilson 1922 Douglas Pielou 1927 by-election Wilfred Wellock 1931 Robert Morgan 1945 Arthur Moyle 1950 Constituency abolished

MPs since 1997

Halesowen & Stourbridge, Dudley East and Dudley West prior to 1997

ElectionMemberParty 1997 Debra Shipley 2005 Lynda Waltho 2010Margot James 2019 2019 Suzanne Webb 2024Cat Eccles

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40: Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; Conservative: Robert Morgan Liberal: Ralph BrownThe Liberal Magazine, 1939 Labour: Wilfred WellockReport of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

See also List of parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county) List of parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands (region)

Notes

References

Sources

External links Stourbridge UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Stourbridge UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Stourbridge UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK