How Solihull Council works

From the section: Becoming a councillor

In this section:

How Solihull Council works

The democratic centre of Solihull Council is at:

Civic Suite
Homer Road
Solihull 
B91 9SE

It is where nearly all democratic meetings take place. The main office for staff is at the Council House, directly opposite the Civic Suite. 

The Cabinet

The Cabinet is made up of the Leader of the Council and a Cabinet of eight other members appointed by the Leader. 

Cabinet members each have a specific area of responsibility including:

  • adult social care and health
  • children and education
  • climate change and planning
  • economy, business and skills
  • environment and infrastructure
  • housing

The Cabinet meet in public on a monthly basis to make decisions related to the Council's policies and budget. Individual Cabinet members also hold meetings on average once a month when they make decisions related to their specific area of responsibility.

Scrutiny

Scrutiny is about holding the Executive (Cabinet) to account at different stages of the decision-making process including public consultations. 

Scrutiny is independent of the Cabinet and is responsible for setting its own work programmes. 

Scrutiny supports Cabinet and officers in developing policy and investigating whether planned outcomes are being achieved, for example, Complaints Policy and Procedures. 

Scrutiny is also responsible for:

  • reviewing performance of Council services to ensure they are achieving customer satisfaction and value for money
  • monitoring Council performance and ensuring standards are met
  • looking at the work and impact of external agencies in the community (e.g. health service providers)

Solihull Wards

New ward boundaries come into effect in May 2026, reflecting the final recommendations of Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) Electoral Review.

Each ward will have three councillors. You can search for your local ward using our online map. 

How often are local elections in Solihull?

Ordinarily, a third of councillors (17) are elected each year for three consecutive years, followed by a fallow year with no elections in the fourth year. 

Each councillor serves a four‑year term, and elections are typically held on the first Thursday in May.

Changes due to the boundary review 

Due to newly created electoral boundaries, the local council elections in May 2026 will be different and all 51 councillors will be up for election. Each ward will elect three councillors, with terms allocated according to the number of votes received:

  • 1st place: four‑year term (next election in 2030)
  • 2nd place: two‑year term (next election in 2028)
  • 3rd place: one‑year term (next election in 2027)

Councillors elected in 2027, 2028 and 2030 will each serve full four‑year terms. The year 2029 will be a fallow year with no local elections in Solihull.

If a councillor resigns or dies whilst in office, a by-election is held to elect another person to represent the ward. Councillors elected at a by-election serve the remaining period of the term. However, when a vacancy occurs within six months of the date of when the previous councillor was up for re-election, the seat remains vacant until the next election.