The Lichfield District Council local election results were “hugely disappointing” for the Conservatives, an MP has said.
The Tories lost their majority as the local authority went to no overall control.
Conservative MP Michael Fabricant said a national trend rather than local issues was to blame for the outcome in Lichfield and Burntwood.
“The count went on into the evening and is a hugely disappointing result for local Conservatives having lost their overall majority on the council by just one seat.
“But the Conservatives are still the largest group on the council and I hope they will be able to continue to deliver for the people of Lichfield.
“I am very aware that many good Conservative candidates have lost mainly as a consequence of the turmoil in Westminster last year and particularly because of the current cost of living crisis. This has been echoed in elections right across Europe.
“My heartfelt commiserations go out to hardworking councillors who have lost their seats not because of anything they failed to do, but because of a national trend – and I congratulate all the councillors who have been elected of every political party.
“As the MP for Lichfield, I will continue to work closely with the council to help residents in Lichfield, Burntwood and the rest of the constituency.”
Michael Fabricant
The Conservatives saw a number of prominent figures lose their seats, including former chair Colin Greatorex and one time cabinet members Angela Lax and Ashley Yeates. Staffordshire County Council’s leader Alan White also lost his seat in Whittington and Streethay.
Full results are available here.
Bring on the national election when we will vote Fabricant and his like out. Great to see new faces in the St John’s ward and certainly no commiserations to the losers That’s politics baby!
Whilst the national situation following the farceof the Johnson and Truss premierships -and erosion of trust and respect that they entailed- undoubtedly did influence the vote, it would be a mistake to think that local issues played no part. We can all see the hoardings round the Birmingham Road site, still unresolved after the premature decision to close the businesses and level the site. The continued arguments around the leisure centre, which no-one seems particularly happy about. The botched sale of land to Bromford at Netherstowe. A council which is unable to stand up to developers producing ugly identikit estates. Unfulfilled promises about progress, Lichfield does not give the impression of being well run. That was certainly a factor in my vote.
Not true. Local issues were very much relevant here. One broken promise and missed self-imposed deadline after another, Friarsgate disaster, levelling up fund fiasco, concreting over our surrounding green fields with high density ugly housing estates, lack of new infrastructure, leisure centre debacle, ignoring the views of local residents time and time again -the list goes on.
I voted on local issues as did many issues. I’ll look more at national problems when I’m voting for my MP. You’re next Mr Fabricant.
No Michael Fabricant! The reason the local scene has changed is because the council lost the trust of the electorate. It was not down to national situations, the Conservative comeuppance will pay for that in due course.
If you could be honest and admit that Lichfield and District has been badly let down by the deaf ears of the council and your complicity in it, that might give some semblance of humanity. To keep spouting the mantra that it wasn’t our fault is both juvenile and untrue.
Lichfield is much diminished in the last decade. Time for you and the council to make way for those who really respect those who voted them into office.
Well done to L.L. for your coverage of the election yesterday with ball by ball coverage. You demonstrated the importance of local media and with accuracy and prompt reporting of results. (The BBC, by contrast, were unable to provide this service on their website).
the same bbc you have helped the government destroy by supporting cutting its budget and putting cronies in as chair and news editor michael?
We both voted on local issues, on everything (and more) that has already been mentioned. Hopefully all parties will now ‘get on’ and deliver for Lichfield.
Bring on the general election ASAP!
We will not be voting for you Michael Fabricant.
Mr Fabricant rightly congratulates LL but is so hard wired into the faux culture war that he can’t resist a pop at the BBC.
And herein lies the problem, the whole confected culture war on multiple fronts is something the vast majority of people have seen through or are beginning to see through. What people are really interested in and want is solid, trustworthy and, most importantly, competent government at both local and national level. The current incarnation of the conservative party seems incapable of delivering this and has been this way for some time now.
This includes at local level where people have lost patience and trust because our council has a track record of failure and inadequacy that has held this great city back.
Lichfield is a great place, hampered by ineffective representation. Let’s hope that can continue to change
Why the unnecessary puerile dig at the BBC Mr Fabricant? Of course they were unable to give a ward by ward breakdown across the whole country, but that illustrates the value of local news sites, not a failing of the BBC. I notice your favourite GBNews also failed in this respect. For goodness sake, can’t you just praise something in Lichfield without adding a pointless culture war comment?
This is what annoys me with Fabricant.
How can he say there are no local issues ??
He is out of touch with what is going on in Lichfield.
He spends too much time on that awful little TV station because he thinks how great it is to be on TV.
He loves to send out cut and paste letters,thinks that will hack it.
Here’s hoping we can find a really good candidate to stand against him at the General Election.
Really want to kick him out.
Sorry Michael but you are talking out of your backside
You lost control due to the bin fiasco and friarsgate. Vote still not sorted.
Your counciller Mr Pullen said there would be visible progress last year and people could vote tories out if there wasn’t. Well you’ve done sod all…..
Tory is now ukip in blue and most of the one nation sorts have long since been removed. The once bizarre fringe with the likes of our MP clinging to it are now in charge. We can all see how that’s gone. Crazies.
Some Tory MPs are blaming local issues, some the govt, but none of them can see reality – Tory party as a whole has lost its way and the promises to ‘deliver on the peoples’ priorities’ is just a sad withering soundbite. Sewage party.
People want a positive vision and hope. The only way is for change and to let the tories sort themselves out.
Specifically for our area, loads of delayed & poor decisions, Cllrs at odds with the MP, him embarrassing us on the ridiculous gbeebies. No clue, no idea. Doug Pullen may have a vision (I do believe he’s a one nation tory) but he hasn’t taken the electorate with him and everyone is fed up to the back teeth of friarsgate, massive housing estates with no new infrastructure and now the bus station to name a few local issues.
It is disappointing that MF who has been elected to represent every person in this constituency, isn’t more positive that a more representative group of people have been elected to hopefully work together to make Lichfield District a better place for all. If only this could be mimicked at national level (Bring on proportional representation!)
I’m sorry but whenever I see or read anything this man says, all that comes to mind is a snake-oil salesman. For the first time in my life I didn’t vote Tory and this was based on local issues. LDC is turning its jurisdiction into God’s waiting room and concreting over what little Green belt is left. Are we to become a suburb of Birmingham with nothing to offer but coffee and charity shops?. Friarsgate was closed 5 years ago and all we have to show is rubble and screens hiding this sorry state of affairs. Hopefully the new Council will do something to breathe life into this city.
Doug Pullen is a decent guy I think but he tried to spin non delivery instead of saying Covid consumed so much time give me another go. At least they can rest and regenerate now coming back hungry. He is hampered by the MP of course. I am not sure these new housing estates have helped as they have seeded younger more centralist voters who will swing about with the national mood. The views of the (elderly?) councillors did not help, climate change deniers and TMO voters, White leader of the CC who cannot fix the roads in his own DC “you are a traitor comments”. Thank goodness Greatorex (dress correctly) is gone from the DC and hopefully they have the sense to put someone else younger up for the CC in his place. Time to go Unitary in Staffordshire now as there are fewer Conservative councillors to upset and it gives a quick reset. Interesting now with this knife edge as everyone has to turn up for meetings including Ray and if anyone leaves their perch it could all change around again.
Well done people of Lichfield and Burntwood for electing change , Lichfield has lost its unique character the shops have very little variety so consequently no reason to shop there and as for Mr M F let’s hope he goes in 2024 maybe to GBNews
As a Lichfield resident I’d like Michael Fabricant to know that I didn’t vote Conservative because of local issues, not national issues. The vote for national issues will be next year, when he loses his seat.
Aaron A Aardvark – How right you are! Your comment reminded me of this by Nye Bevan in 1946. They condemned millions of first class people to semi–starvation. Now the Tories are pouring out money in propaganda of all sorts and are hoping by this organised sustained mass suggestion to eradicate from our minds all memory of what we went through. But I warn you they have not changed, or if they have they are slightly worse than they were.
Fabo looks unhappy in the photo, perhaps he didn’t spend long enough campaigning for his mates
Because of the same ole, same ole.
For the first time in my life I voted independent. Politics will never change until there is some of the lesser known parties get elected
Michael Fabricant should be more gracious in defeat, but I can’t say I expected any different…
While national issues undoubtedly played a part, an increasing level of local incompetence WAS a significant factor. A product of complacency brought about by too many years in power. Like central government, out of energy, out of ideas and, likely, heading out of the door.
Of course our resident clown has to have the last word, a swipe at the BBC, one of the few national information sources independent of the finances and control of the super rich and their vested interests.