Sutton Coldfield constituency shown within Birmingham

Sutton Coldfield is an area of north-eastern Birmingham, England.

In 1528, the town was made a royal town after the granting of a charter by King Henry VIII. Until 1974 it was an independent town, part of Warwickshire, and a Royal borough in its own right. The formal Mayoral chains of office are now on display in Birmingham Council House.

Sutton (as it is often called) has a population of about 100,000, and forms a single parliamentary constituency. The Member of Parliament since 2001 is Andrew Mitchell (Conservative). It comprises the wards of Sutton Four Oaks, Sutton Trinity, Sutton Vesey and Sutton New Hall. Linked regular and fast services from Sutton Coldfield railway station on the Cross-City Line to the centre of Birmingham, Sutton is mostly a commuter dormitory town for people who work in Birmingham.

Sutton Trinity ward was created in June 2004, at which time the other three wards' boundaries were changed.

From 5 April 2004, it has been a formal district, with many local services managed by a district committee made up of all Sutton's councillors.

The area is home to Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield F.C. , and Sutton Coldfield television transmitter, the first television transmitter outside London. Just outside Sutton Coldfield is The Belfry, a hotel with a renowned golf complex whose Brabazon course has hosted the Ryder Cup several times.

The Roman road Icknield Street crosses Sutton Park to the west of the town. Nowadays, the town is bypassed to the north by the M6 Toll, the first toll motorway in the UK. The A38 used to run through the centre of the town but now uses the bypass to the east. The former route of the A38 is now the A5127.

Sutton has also produced several celebrities including (but not limited to) Cat Deeley (T.V. presenter), Mike Skinner aka The Streets (musician), Noddy Holder (musician), Colin Charvis (Welsh international rugby player) and Jane Sixsmith (sportswoman). Many of them still live within the town.

External link

• Birmingham City Council's Sutton Coldfield pages