West Midlands

West Midlands is a metropolitan ceremonial county formed in 1974, encompassing Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, and surrounding boroughs like Dudley, Walsall, Sandwell, and Solihull. This highly urbanised and diverse region was a major centre of the Industrial Revolution and remains one of the most economically and culturally important parts of the UK. Each borough is a metropolitan district council, and together they form the West Midlands Combined Authority, led by a directly elected Mayor of the West Midlands.

This county page, West Midlands, is a sub-page this region page: West Midlands. It zooms in to local authorities and parliamentary constituencies in this county.

Local Authorities in West Midlands

  • Birmingham City Council (Metropolitan District)
  • Coventry City Council (Metropolitan District)
  • Dudley Borough Council (Metropolitan District)
  • Sandwell Borough Council (Metropolitan District)
  • Solihull Borough Council (Metropolitan District)
  • Walsall Borough Council (Metropolitan District)
  • Wolverhampton City Council (Metropolitan District)

The West Midlands county, at the heart of England’s West Midlands region, is made up of seven metropolitan boroughs, each governed by its own council. These are Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in the county and the UK, Coventry City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, and Wolverhampton City Council. Unlike shire counties, the West Midlands has no county council, as each borough operates as a unitary authority handling all local government functions from education and housing to transport and planning. Together, these councils serve a diverse county that includes England’s second city, Birmingham, alongside historic centres like Coventry, industrial towns across the Black Country, and greener suburban areas such as Solihull.

Districts in West Midlands

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, West Midlands is one of ITLs Level 2 area that contains the following 7 ITLs Level 3 areas:

(ITL 1) West Midlands
(ITL 2) ⇒ West Midlands
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Birmingham ⁞ Solihull ⁞ Coventry ⁞ Dudley ⁞ Sandwell ⁞ Walsall ⁞ Wolverhampton

Constituencies in West Midlands

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 59 of them are in the West Midlands region, 27 of them are in West Midlands.