Cllr Steve Norman
Cllr Steve Norman

The leader of the Labour group on Lichfield District Council has insisted they will punch above their weight after doubling their number of seats.

Although they still remain firmly in the minority, Cllr Steve Norman – who retained his Burntwood Summerfield ward seat – believes the increase in Labour councillors will give them more leverage.

Cllr Steve Norman
Cllr Steve Norman

He told The Lichfield Blog:

“It’s gone exactly as I expected. If we’d have got anymore it would have been a bonus, if we’d have got fewer I’ve have been disappointed. We’ve got some excellent people back on the council and I think we punch above our weight and we will continue to do so in the future.”

Cllr Norman hopes that new faces in the Labour and Conservative ranks will bring increased scrutiny back to the council.

And discussing the issue with his colleagues is high on his agenda. He said:

“We’re hoping some of our new members – and hopefully some of the new Conservative members – will take scrutiny on board, because that removes the party whip and you can get good government through good questions.”

Click to hear more on the scrutiny debate from Cllr Steve Norman:

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.