Voters have been urged to back local Conservatives to “continue their good work” across Lichfield and Burntwood.
The plea comes as residents prepare to go to the polls on 4th May.
Cllr Doug Pullen, leader of Lichfield District Council’s Conservative group, said he hoped residents would recognise the efforts put in by councillors to enhance the district.
“Away from the national stage, your local councillors have been working tirelessly to improve both our council and our communities.
“We’re bringing a new cinema and leisure centre to the district, have added play areas in our parks, created a new hub for 21 local small business and raised thousands of pounds for good causes through our Community Lottery.
“Your local Conservative councillors remain committed to keeping council tax low – this year we are able to freeze it at just £3.61 per week for the average property.
“But there’s plenty more to do – we can still improve as a council, there is more investment to attract, there are more high streets to improve and more financial challenges ahead.”
Cllr Doug Pullen, Lichfield District Council
There has been criticism of the decision by the party’s candidates to stand as Local Conservatives.
Cllr Pullen, who will contest the Boley Park ward on 4th May, said:
“Whatever your views nationally, I’d ask that on 4th May, you continue to trust your Local Conservative team to continue their good work.”
Cllr Doug Pullen, Lichfield District Council
The at a glance list of candidates standing in the Boley Park ward at Lichfield District Council:
Andrew Fox
Labour
Scott Hollingsworth
Liberal Democrat
Rajesh Kulkarni
Labour
Doug Pullen
Conservatives
Trouble is Doug, you keep missing your publically announced self impossed deadlines. What’s happening with the cinema? What is happening with whatever you’re now calling the wasteland you created opposite the train station? The wasteland you forced the closure of a car dealership to create by bringing forward the deadline for when it had to relocate, knocking it down, and then saying ooops we don’t have any money to do what we said we would. And you and your council continue to spin your wheels on doing anything with the site, talking about plans which involve relocating a perfectly placed bus station than unspecified alternative location (no other good location exists!). New playgrounds are great, but your failings are much greater. You don’t have any money to build a leisure centre or anywhere to build one.
There may be some confusion because Conservative County Councillors, including the five who are also Lichfield District Councillors, voted for the maximum increase they could as did the Conservative Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. In case voters are wondering if there is a mistake with their bill because of the continual reference to ‘freezing council tax’ by “Local Conservatives”.
@Hugo, from previous articles on here my understanding is the money for the Leisure Centre is agreed, as is the location on Stychbrook, I also think I read it will be delivered at some point next year.
New playgrounds? Thousands of pounds for charity? Is that really the peak of your achievements? Hand on heart time…. are you even convincing yourself that the Council have done a good job? You should face it…. you’re struggling to convince more and more voters that you are. I think you may be in for a wake up call next week Doug. Seriously not impressed……leisure centre, friars gate, cinema, empty retail units in Lichfield, on & off pedestrianised zones, Fabricant, SCC letting the local roads become treacherous, bizarre planning decisions, blue bag debacle and I could go on and on. It looks like to me as a life long Conservative that the Tories both locally and nationally have turned everything into a mess.
If the Election result leads to the Tories loosing control I’m sure they will blame everyone else when the “Cinema, Friarsgate , swimming pool etc projects ” don’t move forward. Their statements then would be of the kind “but we had oven ready deals on all these projects”, I’m sure I’ve heard that before from the Tories? On the other hand if they keep control they will ramble on in the same pointless way as now.
Oh Dear !
Doug Pullen.
No achievements just failed promises… Birmingham Road Site. Née Friarsgate. Decaying Hoardings still there. Proposed resighting of perfectly adequate well placed Bus Station.
Leisure Centre a Pipe Dream. New Cinema, only change is the increase of rubbish posted through the Letter Box of Late Debenhams.
Action speaks far Louder than Words.
You have stagnated.
Since the 2008 financial crisis it feels the council has given us 15 years of promises. Perhaps it’s time for a change to see what others can do.
Trust is something many of us lost a long time ago as regards the Conservative Party, whether that is nationally or locally. Our MP has been the perfect example of all that is wrong with Conservative policies, attitudes and arrogance nationally and at times locally. It strikes me that Mr Pullen is leading a local party that is split between a very traditional and narrow view and one that he attempts to promote that is more progressive and looking to engage. However, neither approach has worked well for this area and Birmingham Road is the perfect example of that. The old approach led to the boarded up, empty eyesore at a key entry point to the city centre. The new approach has talked endlessly about progress on the site but the truth is we are no further forward than we were at the last local elections. In fact we have probably gone backwards as the old leisure and retail focus of the Friarsgate plan seems to now be replaced with one that has a focus on housing. That is not progress.
“Your local Conservative councillors remain committed to keeping council tax low – this year we are able to freeze it at just £3.61 per week for the average property.
The maximum you could have put it up is 5%. £9.38 a year 18p a week. A free pint of beer every 6 months. Thanks very much. As always it is spin trying to improve the reality. If you think your local brand is stronger than the national one you are deluded. 24 years is long enough for a change. If it really is a case of the least worst option the Lab/Lib/Indy can be given the heave ho, let us see. Lichfield Conservatives need to rest and regenerate. You destroyed a perfectly good business and made a man ill.
I’m so tired of these promises that ultimately amount to nothing. As someone else has said, Mr Pullen keeps promising key information on certain dates, then doesn’t deliver it. If he’s unable to deliver that, it’s no wonder we still have a boarded up Friarsgate and a failed levelling up bid.
Seriously – this council is just atrocious at management and delivering results whether it be recycling (remember the blue bag fiasco?), Friarsgate, Levelling up bids, or stalling on information about current projects (Cinema).
I’m still not convinced we’ll see this cinema – which is probably why Pullen has gone all quiet when it comes to details.
One final thing, a plea to differentiate “local” Conservatives from the national party is just woeful. As thought they are in no way connected?!? It’s arrogant. offensive and desperate to ask people to ignore the bigger national picture.
Thanks, but no thanks. You deserve to lose, and lose badly Doug.
Despite the same handful of people on LL constantly berating the current administration, I’m actually quite optimistic if the future of Lichfield thanks to the hard work of our District Council. I also hope for another 4 years of it being led by the existing leadership. If it doesn’t and we have Labour in charge, have no doubt the city will see huge decline in standards. Our proud, aspiring and affluent city will become a haven of council estates, food banks, social deprivation and anti-social behaviour.
@R Chapman. It is the Conservatives that have increased the number of unemployed in Lichfield by 67% in just 4 years by importing the unemployed. So the Labour/rest will do this hardly holds water. With 10,000 more houses that is 2500 social at say 60% unemployed that is another 1500 doubling Lichfields unemployed number. Something to look forward to. By the way you don’t have council estates these days the social elements are mixed in on the new estates next door to the hard working person who has paid £500k for their house.
Is anyone else tired of hearing the following from Council leaders:-
“in the pipeline”
“oven ready”
“planned”
“it will be done by Christmas”
“pending approval”
“visible progress will be seen soon”
etc etc?
As a Boley Park resident I am not voting Conservative this time as it is time for a change. I am fed up with broken promises missed deadlines etc. & the only protest I have it to place my votes elsewhere
I’d rather poke myself in the eye than endure this lot any more than I have to. Like the country, Lichfield has been on a journey of decline and for me its time for change, locally and nationally. You’ve had your chance, and thanks but no thanks.
‘Our proud, aspiring and affluent city will become a haven of council estates, food banks, social deprivation and anti-social behaviour’.
I’m quoting R Chapman who needs to get out more…there already are food banks, social deprivation and ASB in Lichfield, have you not noticed? And for last 13 years the govt has been Tory and since before time began locally the council’s been tory as well.
Nice try to blame Labour for something bad in the future which has already happened under the tories. 🙄
Missed the good work in the first place. Absolute disgrace nationally, would be embarrassed to put my name to that party.
@RFW I’m not sure where you’ve been recently, but under the Tories, our foodbanks in Lichfield and Burntwood are struggling to cope with demand. And as for council estates, when did the council last build houses? And what is so terrible about living in social housing? It’s all that a lot of people, especially young people, can afford these days to get them started on the housing ladder since Tory planning and social policies have priced them out of the housing market. Reductions in council grants have led to youth services being cut, depriving young people of essential support and youth clubs etc. I would hope that a Labour Council will direct its limited funds to the benefit and betterment of all the residents of the district and not waste money on endless consultations on what to do with the Friarsgate site. If in doubt, build some houses!
Councils have not been allowed to build council estates for decades, so I don’t see that being an issue even if we do vote in a Labour Council. And how could anyone see food banks as a problem? They are a solution to the massive problems that the current Tory Government has created over the past 13 years, particularly social deprivation. And as for antisocial behaviour, I’ve seen no shortage of complaints about that since I’ve been reading Lichfield Live, and that’s under the current Tory Council.
Hoping having lots a people move in from.other towns that the conservative won’t get in this time. They told me they had nothing to do with the downing Street government and didn’t agree with their policies…….. Lolol
R Chapman – The evidence of our eyes tells us plainly that Conservatives, national and local, have failed. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is better than when they took over. The NHS, education, police and immigration are less effective since 2010. The talent puddle of witless zealots has seen to that. Every negative that you have listed is the responsibility of those currently in government.
Is this guy having a laugh?!
There seems to be no progress on anything in Lichfield at present. Well aside from the horrible low quality housing developments popping up all over the place that are destroying our green belt. Makes you wonder who is funding the ‘local’ conservatives campaign…
In all honesty I do not have much faith in the opposition parties either. I think the best outcome is no overall control and a coalition made to include independents.
Such a shame for such a beautiful area.
@RFW: My sincere apologies… I meant to respond to @R Chapman in my previous comment.
I completely agree with RFW and Annoyed Local.
Lichfield has gone downhill due to the local Conservatives, but the problem I have is that I don’t think the Lib Dems or Labour will do any better. I was hoping/looking for a group of sensible, successful and intelligent independents to come forward who genuinely cared about the prosperity of Lichfield to move us out of this stagnation, so you could guess
my disappointment when I looked at the list of candidates and simply saw the same old same old. Depressing.
They are one of the worst councils in the country. I have never seen or experienced one so bad.
Third world pot-holes and more ‘pie in the sky bye and bye’, thanks Councillor Pullen, your epitaph is written on the ‘welcome to Lichfield’ hoardings on what was Kennings corner opposite the City Railway Station. You and your policies represent a disgraceful period of inept local governance.
@Hugo, Spot on.
Bit late joining the party but I’d vote independent if we had 1 in our ward ?
Tories are useless and Labour would be as bad doesn’t leave much choice I’ll skip the vote and take it on the chin whoever gets in.