Everything you need to know about the general election in West Bromwich

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

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

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the snap general election in May which sparked six weeks of campaigning and canvassing from political parties and independent candidates across the political spectrum.

The Conservatives picked up two historic wins in 2019 – winning in the old West Bromwich West and West Bromwich East seats for the first time ever – with Labour’s John Spellar representing the old Warley seat from its inception in 1997.

Who is standing in West Bromwich?

• Sarah Coombes (Labour)

• Parmjit Singh Gill (Liberal Democrats)

• Will Goodhand (Conservative)

• Sam Harding (UKIP)

• Gita Joshi (Green)

• Ray Nock (Reform)

• Mohammed Yasin (Independent)

When can I vote? Where can I vote?

Polls will be open across the borough from 7am on Thursday, July 4 and will close at 10pm. You can vote as long as you are in the queue by 10pm.

The boxes of votes from polling stations from across Sandwell will then be delivered to Tipton Sports Academy where they will be verified and counted.

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

You must show an acceptable form of photo ID to vote. This includes a driving licence or passport. You don’t need to take your polling card but you must take ID.

And when will we know the winner?

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

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

Due to boundary changes, your polling station may have changed from the last election so it is best to double-check the stated address before heading off to vote.

The current council wards of Charlemont with Grove Vale, Great Barr with Yew Tree, Greets Green and Lyng, Newton and West Bromwich Central – which made up the old West Bromwich East seat – all remain in the new West Bromwich boundary and joined by Oldbury and Tividale from the old West Bromwich West seat (now Tipton and Wednesbury) and Rowley.

What was the result in West Bromwich at the last general election in 2019?

West Bromwich is a newly resurrected constituency for the 2024 election where it will be used for the first time in 50 years. The constituency is made up of the majority of the old West Bromwich East seat. The seat of West Bromwich had existed from 1885 until 1974 when the borough of Sandwell was created and the new West Bromwich East seat was formed.

West Bromwich East was a Labour stronghold from its inception in 1974, and was the long-term home of the party’s Peter Snape until 2001 when it was then represented by Tom Watson from 2001 until 2019, before the Conservatives gained an historic win in 2019.

Nicola Richards was the first Conservative to win in West Bromwich East in its history with 46.7 per cent of the vote – a 12.1 per cent swing to the Tories. Turnout was 57.9 per cent.

She was among a host of Tory candidates snatching a wave of seats across the Black Country, which included neighbouring West Bromwich West, and the rest of the Midlands nearly five years ago – turning several bricks of the ‘red wall’ blue as the Conservatives sailed to victory.