Smethwick – all the general election information you need to know

Polls open at 7am on July 4, with voters having the chance to vote until 10pm to select the party and candidate they want to represent in each of the three constituencies of Sandwell – Tipton and Wednesbury, Smethwick and West Bromwich.

The new seats that are up for grabs in the district were created following a recent overhaul of parliamentary constituencies.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a snap general election in May, triggering six weeks of campaigning and canvassing by political parties and independent candidates across the political spectrum.

The Conservatives achieved two historic victories in 2019 – winning the old seats of West Bromwich West and West Bromwich East for the first time – with Labour’s John Spellar representing the old seat of Warley since its inception in 1997.

Who lives in Smethwick?

• Jay Anadou (independent)

• Ravaldeep Bath (Trade Union and Socialist Coalition)

• Kate Fairhurst (Conservative)

• Christopher Graham (independent)

• Gurinder Singh Josan (work)

• Oliver Patrick (Liberal Democrats)

• Nahim Rubani (Workers’ Party)

When can I vote? Where can I vote?

Polling stations will be open across the borough from 7am on Thursday 4 July and close at 10pm. You can vote as long as you are in line until 22:00.

Ballot boxes from polling stations in Sandwell will then be delivered to Tipton Sports Academy where they will be checked and counted.

The location of the polling station where you will be able to vote is indicated on the voting card delivered to your home address.

To vote, you must present an acceptable form of photo ID. This includes your driver’s license or passport. You don’t have to take the ballot, but you do have to take your ID.

And when will we know the winner?

Sandwell’s three MPs from new Tipton and Wednesbury, West Bromwich and Smethwick will be declared by the council’s chief executive and district electoral officer Shokat Lal in the early hours. The results are expected to be declared around 3 am.

What about the boundary changes in Sandwell? What happened to West Bromwich East?

Due to boundary changes, your polling station may have changed since the last election, so it’s best to double-check your listed address before going to the polls.

The old Warley constituency – which consists of Abbey, Bristnall, Langley, Old Warley, Smethwick, Soho and Victoria and St Pauls wards – was scrapped and renamed to form the new Smethwick borough. A small part of the Blackheath ward, which is currently in the Warley constituency, would move to the newly renamed Halesowen seat, with most of it remaining in the new Smethwick constituency.

What was the result in Smethwick in the last general election 2019?

Smethwick is a newly revived constituency for the 2024 election, where it will be used for the first time in 50 years. The constituency consists of most of the old seat of Warley.

John Spellar has held the seat for the entire time since 1997 when it was created (from the Warley East and Warley West seats). John Spellar received 58.2% of the vote (and a majority of 14,702) in 2019 and was the only Labor candidate to retain his seat – the Tories achieving historic victories in West Bromwich East and West Bromwich West. It was the first time in history that the party won either seat.