The West Midlands region is to lose six MPs under a radical shake up of the region’s political map.

And the planned changes mean some Parliamentary constituencies will cross city and town boundaries - with results that are likely to be controversial.

Halesowen residents will now find themselves represented by an MP who also serves Birmingham.

The wards of Halesowen North, Halesowen South and Belle Valley in Dudley borough will be part of a new constituency called Birmingham Selly Oak and Halesowen. This will include the Birmingham wards of Bartley Green, Selly Oak and Weoley.

A number of other Black Country residents will now be represented by MPs whose seats mostly cover Birmingham.

Residents of the Abbey ward in Smethwick, in the Black Country, will be part of a new Birmingham Edgbaston constituency.

Pheasey Park Farm, in Walsall, becomes part of Birmingham Erdington constituency.

Soho and Victoria ward in Sandwell borough becomes part of Birmingham Ladywood.

And Newton ward in Sandwell becomes part of Birmingham Perry Barr.

There are also big changes to Solihull seats.

Birmingham residents living in Sheldon will find themselves represented in the House of Commons by the MP for the new constituency of Chelmsley Wood and Solihull North.

And residents in Knowle and Meriden, which are in the borough of Solihull, will be represented by the MP for the new constituency of Coventry West and Meriden.

A third Solihull seat, called Shirley and Solihull South, will include Tanworth-in-Arden, which is part of the borough of Stratford-on-Avon.

Every Birmingham seat will change in some way except for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Sutton Coldfield.

And the city will go down from having ten MPs to nine and a half, if the new Birmingham Selly Oak and Halesowen constituency is counted as half a Birmingham seat.

What's happening to Parliamentary constituencies?

What is happening in the West Midlands?

The number of constituencies in the West Midlands is being cut from 59 to 53. That means the region will have six fewer MPs.

When do the changes come into effect?

In time for the next general election. But the current proposals are not yet final, and a consultation will now run from 13 September 2016 to 5 December 2016.

Why are constituencies being changed?

The Government says it wants to cut the cost of politics by cutting the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600. It also wants to ensure every constituency has roughly the same number of voters, with an electorate of between 71,031 and 78,507 in each seat.

Is every constituency changing?

No. Birmingham constituencies Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham Hodge Hill stay the same, for example - but every other seat in the city changes.

Why are the changes controversial?

The focus on ensuring every constituency has a similar number of voters mean it has been necessary to cross local authority boundaries. So, for example, some voters in Solihull will find themselves in a constituency called Coventry West and Meriden, while some Black Country residents will share an MP with neighbours in Birmingham.

Will my postal address or postcode change?

No - the constituency changes have no affect on postal addresses or postcodes.

How will this affect the work of MPs?

In some cases, MPs who used to deal with one local authority will now find themselves dealing with two.

How can I have my say?

More details about the changes, and how to take part in the consultation, are in the Boundary Commission for England website at www.bce2018.org.uk.