With Edgbaston, this was the last of the Conservativesí Birmingham seats lost to Labour in 1997. Despite the fact that when Stephen McCabe won in 1997 it was the first time Labour had held it since its creation in 1950, the Conservatives need a 10% swing to recover it.
The constituency is composed of three city council wards - Billesley, Brandwood and Hall Green. While Billesley and Brandwood usually elect Labour councillors with more than 50% of the vote and Hall Green elects Liberal Democrats, in recent years the Tories have made inroads in all three, and now hold three seats on the council - compared with two by the Lib Dems and four by Labour.
Many constituents are employed in the car industry - notably Roverís nearby factories.
The constituency is a largely residential suburban seat south of the city centre on the fringes of Birmingham and bordering Tory Solihull in the east. It contains public parks, open space and numerous tree-lined streets.
One famous landmark is Sarehole mill, where J R Tolkien spent his boyhood and which provided the inspiration for "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings".