59-664: Aldridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands , England. It is historically , a village that was part of Staffordshire until 1974. The town is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Brownhills , 5 miles (8 km) from Walsall , 6 miles (9.7 km) from Sutton Coldfield and 7 miles (11 km) from Lichfield . The town is also the second-largest town in the Walsall Borough (by population, after Walsall). The name "Aldridge"
118-610: A cricket and hockey club called "The Stick and Wicket", located on the green behind the parish church, St. Mary's , and the Masonic Hall. Aldridge Hockey Club merged with Walsall Hockey Club in 2011; it is now known as Aldridge & Walsall Hockey Club. Aldridge Sailing Club was formed in 1967 and is RYA-affiliated. Aldridge Rugby Football Club was formed in 1998 from an amalgamation of two established rugby clubs based in Birmingham: Witton and Old Centrals. The club
177-613: A five-year cycle, or when a snap election is called. Since the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 , Parliament is automatically dissolved once five years have elapsed from its first meeting after an election. If a vacancy arises at another time, due to death or resignation , then a constituency vacancy may be filled by a by-election. Under the Representation of the People Act 1981 any MP sentenced to over
236-527: A group of volunteers and puts on a variety of plays throughout the year. A pantomime is usually staged in January. 425 (Aldridge) Squadron, part of Staffordshire Wing of the Air Training Corps , was formed in 1941 and currently occupies a purpose-built HQ close to the village centre. The Squadron is run by uniformed RAFVR(T) officers and ATC SNCO adult staff, assisted by civilian instructors and
295-518: A higher rate of people who are permanently sick and disabled, where the national average is 5.3%. The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is split between several travel to work areas (TTWA). The central and northern areas of the borough (including the towns of Walsall , Bloxwich and Brownhills ) are within the Walsall and Cannock TTWA, whilst the majority of the area west of the M6 motorway (including
354-469: A member of Parliament is to do what they think in their faithful and disinterested judgement is right and necessary for the honour and safety of Great Britain. The second duty is to their constituents, of whom they are the representative but not the delegate. Burke's famous declaration on this subject is well known. It is only in the third place that their duty to party organisation or programme takes rank. All these three loyalties should be observed, but there
413-417: A padre. The 36th Walsall 1st Aldridge scout group is located on Middlemore Lane, opposite Anchor Meadow, and runs Beaver, Cub, Scout, and Explorer sections for boys aged 6 and upwards. The beavers are aged 6–8, cubs are aged 8–10/11, scouts are aged 11–14 and explorers are aged 14–18. The Methodist church is used by 1st Aldridge Girl guides as well as two brownie groups and a rainbow group. The rainbows group
472-499: A person must be at least 18 years old and be a citizen of the UK , a Commonwealth nation, or Ireland . A person is not required to be registered to vote, nor are there any restrictions regarding where a candidate is a resident. The House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 outlaws the holders of various positions from being MPs. These include civil servants , regular police officers (but not special constables ), regular members of
531-581: A prison sentence of a year or more. People in respect of whom a bankruptcy restrictions order has effect are disqualified from (existing) membership of the House of Commons (details differ slightly in different countries). Members are not permitted to resign their seats. In practice, however, they always can. Should a member wish to resign from the Commons , they may request appointment to one of two ceremonial Crown offices: that of Crown Steward and Bailiff of
590-611: A weekend away in February. The 33rd Walsall Scout group is based at Aldridge Methodist Church and holds Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts for boys and girls aged 6–14. The 49th Walsall Scout Group is the third Scout Group in Aldridge based at St Thomas's Church at the bottom of St Thomas Close, on the estate just off Lazy Hill Road and Greenwood Road. It also caters for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. Air Chief Marshal Stuart William Peach, Baron Peach , GBE , KCB , ADC , DL
649-502: A year in jail automatically vacates their seat. For certain types of lesser acts of wrongdoing, the Recall of MPs Act 2015 mandates that a recall petition be opened; if signed by more than 10% of registered voters within the constituency, the seat is vacated. In the past, only male adult property owners could stand for Parliament. In 1918, women acquired the right to stand for Parliament , and to vote. To be eligible to stand as an MP,
SECTION 10
#1732780399756708-620: Is a safe seat for the Conservative Party . Re-elected at the 2024 general election , the Member of Parliament (MP) is Wendy Morton , first elected in 2015 . Her predecessor, Sir Richard Shepherd , had held the seat since 1979 . Aldridge is made up of two council wards: Aldridge Central & South, and Aldridge North & Walsall Wood. There are three Conservative Councillors for Aldridge Central & South: Pard Kaur, Bobby Bains, and Tim Wilson. Aldridge North & Walsall Wood
767-818: Is a railway line which runs from Birmingham International via Birmingham New Street and Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley . The following stations on the line are within the Borough: See List of areas in Walsall 45% of pupils in the Borough of Walsall achieved five GCSEs with grades of A*-C, below the national average of 56%. The borough's education format is a traditional 5–7 infant, 7–11 junior and 11-16/18 secondary school system, with some infant and junior schools being combined single site primary schools, while others have infant and junior schools on separate sites. The towns of Walsall, Bloxwich, Darlaston and Willenhall have always used these age ranges, but
826-563: Is also covered by three Conservative councilors: Keith Sears, Anthony Harris and Gary Clarke. Aldridge has several primary and secondary schools. The primary schools are Cooper and Jordan Church of England Primary School, Leighswood, St Mary of the Angels (Roman Catholic), and Whetstone Field. Redhouse Primary School closed in 2006. The secondary schools are Aldridge School and St Francis of Assisi Catholic College . In Aldridge, there are several factories with several large industrial estates in
885-516: Is based on the former Old Centrals sports ground at Bourne Vale in Aldridge and plays in Midlands 5 West (North), fielding three senior sides. Aldridge Compass Suites (based at the Masonic Hall on the Green) is a venue for wedding receptions, christenings and other functions. The Aldridge Youth Theatre was officially opened by the actor Bernard Hepton and is located on Noddy Park Road. It is run by
944-643: Is derived from the Anglo-Saxon alr or alre + wīc meaning 'alder (tree) + village'. Another suggestion is that the name "Aldridge" means "outlying farm among alder-trees", from the Old English alor and wīc . It was recorded as Alrewic in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was valued at 15 shillings and had a population of seven households; the Lord was Robert (d'Oilly) and the tenant-in-chief
1003-411: Is especially useful in the manufacture of blue bricks. The 1881 census shows that the mines and brickworks were major employers. Because the coal and clay beneath the eastern side of Aldridge (towards Stonnall ) is located much deeper under the surface, extraction of this coal and clay would not have been economically viable. As a result, farms continued to dominate the eastern part, though a sand quarry
1062-463: Is for girls aged 5–7, the brownies for girls aged 7–10, and guides aged 10–14. Older girls also take part and are known as the senior section. St. Mary's Parish Church has one of the largest church youth groups in the area. Around 90 young people, between the ages of 13 and 18, attend the group. The group also hosts an annual summer camp in Wales (in recent years attracting over 100 teenagers), as well as
1121-552: Is named after its largest settlement, Walsall , but covers a larger area which also includes Aldridge , Bloxwich , Brownhills , Darlaston , Pelsall and Willenhall . The borough had an estimated population of 254,500 in 2007. The borough was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . It is bounded on the west by the City of Wolverhampton , the south by the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell , to
1180-414: Is no doubt of the order in which they stand under any healthy manifestation of democracy. Theoretically, contemporary MPs are considered to have two duties, or three if they belong to a political party. Their primary responsibility is to act in the national interest. They must also act in the interests of their constituents, where this does not override their primary responsibility. Finally, if they belong to
1239-538: The 2003 election , the council varied between control by the Labour Party , and where no one party had an overall majority. From 2003 to 2011 the Conservative Party then held a majority of councillors. At the 2011 election the Conservative Party lost five seats, while Labour gained eight, and afterwards no party held a majority . At the 2019 election , the Conservative Party regained control of
SECTION 20
#17327803997561298-503: The County Borough of West Bromwich , Lichfield Rural District , Cannock Urban District, the County Borough of Walsall and the County Borough of Birmingham . On 1 April 1966 the parish was also abolished to form "Aldridge Brownhills", parts also went to Birmingham, Shenstone , Walsall and West Bromwich. In 1961 the parish had a population of 51,046. It then became part of an expanded Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in 1974. At
1357-612: The Freedom of the Borough of Walsall. Member of Parliament (United Kingdom) King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee In
1416-546: The M6 Motorway built in 1968 half circles around Walsall to the west of the town. There can be increased congestion on the local A roads whenever the motorway is temporarily closed or in a state of serious delay as road users try to bypass the problem. Junctions (North to South) 11, 10, 9 and 7 allow access to and from various parts of the town. The M6 and M5 join at junction 8. The A454 runs through Walsall on its way to Sutton Coldfield from Bridgnorth . The Chase Line
1475-657: The Senedd (Welsh Parliament) or the Northern Ireland Assembly are also ineligible for the Commons according to the Wales and Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Acts respectively, passed in 2014 (but members of the Scottish Parliament are eligible). People who are bankrupt cannot stand to be MPs. The Representation of the People Act 1981 excludes persons who are currently serving
1534-727: The United Kingdom , a member of Parliament ( MP ) is an individual elected to serve in the House of Commons , the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . All 650 members of the UK House of Commons are elected using the first-past-the-post voting system in single member constituencies across the whole of the United Kingdom, where each constituency has its own single representative. All MP positions become simultaneously vacant for elections held on
1593-469: The Wales national rugby union team , went to the Redhouse School in Aldridge. Swimmer Ellie Simmonds won two gold medals at both the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics . She attended Cooper and Jordan Primary School, then Aldridge School . Metropolitan Borough of Walsall WV (12, 13, 14) The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands , England. It
1652-587: The armed forces (but not reservists), and some judges . Members of the House of Lords were not permitted to hold Commons seats until the passing of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 , which allows retired or resigned members of the House of Lords to stand or re-stand as MPs. Members of legislatures outside of the Commonwealth are excluded, with the exemption of the Irish legislature . Additionally, members of
1711-409: The 2021 census, both wards of Aldridge North & Walsall Wood and Aldridge Central & South populations were both 13,157 and 13,739. When combined, that gives Aldridge a total population of 26,896. Of the findings, the ethnicity and religious composition of the wards separately were: The religious composition of both wards at the 2021 Census was recorded as: The Aldridge-Brownhills constituency
1770-535: The Aldridge, Brownhills and Streetly areas (which became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in 1974) adopted 5–9 first, 9–13 middle and 13-16/18 secondary schools in September 1972. However, this system was discontinued and replaced with the traditional age ranges in September 1986 to fit in with the other schools in the Walsall borough. The following people and military units have received
1829-585: The Chiltern Hundreds , or that of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead . These offices are sinecures (that is, they involve no actual duties); they exist solely to permit the "resignation" of members of the House of Commons. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for making the appointment, and, by convention, never refuses to do so when asked by a member who desires to leave
Aldridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-530: The House of Commons. Members of Parliament are entitled to use the post-nominal initials MP. MPs are referred to as "honourable" as a courtesy only during debates in the House of Commons (e.g., "the honourable member for ..."), or if they are the children of peers below the rank of marquess ("the honourable [first name] [surname]"). Those who are members of the Privy Council use the form The Right Honourable ( The Rt Hon. ) Name MP. The first duty of
1947-501: The Metropolitan Borough, 42.84% of households owned a single car or van, with 31.05% owning none. The average car ownership per household was 1.01, compared with 0.96 across the West Midlands metropolitan county. The table below details the population change in the area since 1801. Although the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall has existed as a metropolitan borough only since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from
2006-483: The West Midlands area was carried out under the Local Government Act 1958 , culminating in the West Midlands Review Order 1965, which merged many of the districts in the area with effect from 1 April 1966. Darlaston and Willenhall were both absorbed into the county borough of Walsall, whilst the two urban districts of Brownhills and Aldridge merged to become Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District . At
2065-896: The area is a Wetherspoons Public House, in the former Avion cinema, latterly a bingo hall. Many of its original features have been retained including the protected facade. Aldridge is served by local bus services. Many of the buses in Aldridge were renumbered in April 2010 as part of Centro's attempt to simplify bus services in and around the Walsall area. Some subsidised services have changed operators over time, such as 25 previously operated by Arriva , iGo, and Diamond . As of July 2024 operating services through Aldridge include - Walsall Community Transport (25), Chaserider (36, 36A), and National Express West Midlands (6, 7, 937, 937A, 997). These services operate to surrounding estates each terminating at Walsall, Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Brownhills, Kingstanding, and Lichfield. Aldridge railway station
2124-467: The area. Some of the most notable factories include the large Ibstock and Weinberger brickworks, and the GKN Driveshafts factory, although the latter company closed in recent years due to relocation and cheaper imports. Birlec , a manufacturer of industrial furnaces relocated to Aldridge in the late 1950s, but has since closed. Aldridge Plastics Ltd, a plastics injection moulder, was set up in
2183-567: The borough being £131,131 during the period April – June 2009, compared with the average across the Metropolitan County of £128,142. Following transfer from the council in 2003, social housing in the area is primarily managed by WATMOS (consisting of eight Tenant management organisations ), and the Walsall Housing Group . The A34 trunk road runs directly through the middle of Walsall . An elevated section of
2242-474: The borough was part of the West Midlands constituency in the European Parliament . The West Midlands region elected seven MEPs. In 1974, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council was created to administer the new metropolitan borough. Elections to the council take place in three out of every four years, with one-third of the seats being contested at each election. Between its formation in 1974 and
2301-533: The council. At the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001 , according to the Office for National Statistics , the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall had a total resident population of 253,499, of which 123,189 (48.6%) were male and 130,310 (51.4%) were female, with 101,333 households. The Borough occupied 10,395 hectares (40.14 sq mi) at the time of the 2001 census. Its population density
2360-676: The first man to cross Norway and Wales in a straight line. He attended Aldridge School . Lee Sinnott (born 12 July 1965 in Aldridge) is an English ex-professional footballer and was the manager of Farsley Celtic , whom he led to promotion three times in four years. He went on to manage Port Vale for a short period. He began his career at Walsall as an apprentice and played in the 1984 FA Cup final for his next club Watford in 1984. He captained Huddersfield Town to Division Two playoff glory in 1995. Colin Charvis , former captain of
2419-399: The health and social work sector. At the 2001 UK census, Walsall Metropolitan Borough had 180,623 residents aged 16 to 74. 2.3% of these people were students with jobs, 6.0% looking after home or family, 6.8% permanently sick or disabled and 2.4% economically inactive for other reasons. These figures are roughly in line with the averages for England, though Metropolitan Borough of Walsall has
Aldridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-546: The line has been used only for freight. Ongoing speculation about returning passenger services to Aldridge, which would require a new station to be built, has continued with the apparent inclusion of Aldridge and Streetly stations on a map in the 2016 West Midlands Strategic Transport Plan. In February 2021, the West Midlands Combined Authority announced that the land needed for the station to be rebuilt had been acquired for £400,000. Aldridge has
2537-424: The parishes of Great Barr , Pelsall and Rushall . Other villages within the district included Walsall Wood , Clayhanger and Streetly . These areas began to grow substantially with private house buildings from the 1930s, mostly bought by families relocating from the central areas of Walsall. The urban district of Aldridge merged with Brownhills on 1 April 1966 to form Aldridge-Brownhills , parts also went to
2596-654: The residents of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall have been represented in the UK Parliament by Members of Parliament (MPs) for four separate parliamentary constituencies. Two, Walsall and Bloxwich and Aldridge-Brownhills fall wholly within the borough and are represented by Valerie Vaz ( Labour ) and Wendy Morton ( Conservative ) respectively. Parts of the borough are within the constituencies of Wolverhampton North East and Wolverhampton South East , represented by Sureena Brackenridge and Pat McFadden ( both Labour ) respectively. Prior to Brexit in 2020,
2655-511: The rest of the European Union , and 6.00% elsewhere in the world. Data on religious beliefs across the borough in the 2001 census show that 72.1% declared themselves to be Christian, 10.0% said they held no religion, and 5.4% reported themselves as Muslim . Whereas in the 2011 Census 59% declared themselves to be Christian, 26% said they held no religion or did not state their religion, and 8.2% reported themselves as Muslim . Within
2714-406: The same date the area became part of the new metropolitan county of West Midlands . For the next twelve years there was a two-tier structure in place, with West Midlands County Council providing higher county-level services. The county council was abolished in 1986. There were adjustments to some of the boundaries between Walsall and its neighbours in 1994. Since the 2024 general election ,
2773-408: The same time, there were also more minor boundary adjustments with neighbouring areas around the edges of the new districts. The new arrangements were relatively short-lived. Under the Local Government Act 1972 , local government in the area was reviewed again, with Walsall County Borough and Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District merging to become the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall on 1 April 1974. On
2832-578: The shopping area known as "The Parade". Well-known shops here include WH Smith , Iceland supermarket, Home Bargains , and Boots The Chemist . A purpose-built Safeway (UK) opened in 1992 and started operating as a Morrisons in 2004. B & M took over the former Focus DIY in Coppice Lane and opened its doors for the first time on 1 August 2015. One of the oldest traders in Aldridge is R.H.N. Riley Insurances on Anchor Road, they have been trading since 1957 and in Aldridge since about 1970. Also in
2891-469: The south east by the City of Birmingham , and by the Staffordshire districts of Lichfield , Cannock Chase and South Staffordshire to the east, north and northwest respectively. Most of the borough is highly industrialised and densely populated, but areas around the north and east of the borough are open space. Prior to 1966, the area that would later become the metropolitan borough of Walsall
2950-414: The town in 1968 and continued trading for almost 40 years before ceasing production in 2007. From January 2011, GFP Engineering Ltd, a Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) moulding company, will commence trading after relocating from nearby Lichfield . There is also a marina, Aldridge Marina, offering facilities for canal boat moorers. Most of the town's shops are located either on High Street, Anchor Road, or in
3009-632: The towns of Willenhall and Darlaston ) is within the Wolverhampton TTWA. The southeast of the Metropolitan Borough (including Streetly ) is within the Birmingham TTWA. The entire borough is within the Birmingham Larger Urban Zone . Average house prices in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall were fourth out of the metropolitan boroughs in the West Midlands county , with the average house price within
SECTION 50
#17327803997563068-484: The towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of the borough. At the time of the 2001 census, there were 105,590 people (41.7%) in employment who were resident within Walsall Metropolitan Borough. Of these, 18.60% worked within the wholesale and retail trade, including repair of motor vehicles; 26.44% worked within manufacturing industry; and 9.85% worked within
3127-410: Was William son of Ansculf . The name was recorded as Alrewich and Allerwych in the 12th century. Aldridge began as a small agricultural settlement, with farming being the most common occupation up until the 19th century. In the 1800s, Aldridge became an industrial town with coal mines and lime kilns . The coal and clay in the area prompted many to set up collieries and brickworks. Aldridge clay
3186-470: Was 22.79 people per hectare compared with an average of 28.41 across the West Midlands metropolitan county. The median age of the population was 37, compared with 36 within the West Midlands metropolitan county and 37 across England and Wales. The majority of the population of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall were born in England (91.77%); 1.42% were born elsewhere within the United Kingdom, 0.82% within
3245-596: Was a road bicycle racer, and one of the first two Britons to ride the Tour de France . Rode in Olympic Games: Los Angeles 1932 and Berlin 1936 . Vic Milne had a doctor's surgery in Portland Road, Aldridge. Played football for Aston Villa , including an appearance in the 1924 FA Cup Final where his team were defeated 2-0 by Newcastle United . Tom Davies (GeoWizard) , a YouTuber and
3304-464: Was educated at Aldridge Grammar School. Charles George Bonner VC, DSC, born in Aldridge, was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Bonner Grove, a neighborhood of social housing flats and privately owned houses, remembers his name. Charles Holland
3363-437: Was governed by five smaller local authorities: The four urban districts were all within the administrative county of Staffordshire , in a two-tier structure with Staffordshire County Council providing county-level services. Walsall itself was a self-governing county borough , independent from the county council, but was still deemed to be part of Staffordshire for ceremonial purposes. A review of local government in
3422-467: Was on the Sutton Park Line running from Walsall to Birmingham via Sutton Coldfield. It also had a direct link to Wolverhampton on the now defunct Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway as well as a direct link to Brownhills via Walsall Wood although this closed in the 1960s. The station had passenger services to Walsall, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Brownhills. It closed in 1966 and since then
3481-490: Was set up and remains on Birch Lane. During the 20th century, modern shops were built in the centre of Aldridge, as well as council buildings. During the Second World War , the small Aldridge Airport was used for military planes. It was subsequently used for passenger services for a time. Aldridge became an urban district in Staffordshire in 1934. As well as the parish of Aldridge the urban district contained
#755244