Local Elections 2024: Why only one Birmingham ward is voting to elect a city councillor

Today (Thursday, May 1) will see thousands of voters across the West Midlands head to the polls and have their say in a flurry of local elections.

People will be voting to elect councillors in the Black Country and Solihull for instance, as well as the West Midlands Mayor and the Police and Crime Commissioner in what is set to be a busy day.

However, a city-wide election for Birmingham City Council will not be taking place today, May 2.

This is because such an election only took place two years ago and had every seat on the council up for grabs. In the 2022 elections, Labour easily retained control of the council but lost two councillors compared to 2018 while the Conservatives lost three seats but remained the second largest party.

The Liberal Democrats made the most dramatic gains with four seats while the Green Party gained an extra councillor. Speaking following the final result, Ian Ward, then-leader of Birmingham City Council, said it was “swings and roundabouts” for Labour at the time.

“We came into the campaign with 65 seats and come out of it with 65 seats,” he said. “The 2018 [election] was a high mark, so to repeat that is a great election result for Birmingham Labour.

“The Tories lost five seats to us, and in turn we lost four seats to the Lib Dems and one to the Greens.”

Four years earlier, the previous local election in 2018 was the first since the number of seats at the Council House reduced from 120 to 101 following a boundary review.

Birmingham’s whole council elections take place every four years since, which means the next one is in 2026 and then 2030.

However, voters in one ward – Bournbrook and Selly Park – will be able to vote to elect a Birmingham City councillor today after a by-election was called following the departure of Brigid Jones, a former cabinet member for finance.

She said in March that she was stepping down with immediate effect to take up new challenges outside politics.

In the 2022 city council elections, the Labour candidates in the ward, south of Birmingham city centre, won with a significant majority.

Candidate Jamie Scott will be hoping to retain this particular seat for Labour and Co-Operative Party while facing competition from Dr Andrew Hardie (Birmingham Local Conservatives), Joe Norris (Liberal Democrats), Carla Charles (Green Party), Edward Woollard (Workers Party of Britain), Corinthia Ward (Socialist Alternative) and Pete Bloomer (independent).

A separate by-election will be held later this year following the resignation of Cllr Rick Payne.