A SEAT on Lichfield City Council has been won by Reform UK.
The by-election for the Stowe ward vacancy took place yesterday (13th February) and saw local businessman Dean Robertson come out on top with 394 votes ahead of Labour’s Matthew Turner who finished second with 329.
The new Reform UK city councillor said he hoped to “bring back common sense” in local decision making.
He added:
“I will bring a fresh perspective and fight to the issues that are so important for us all here in Stowe.
“I will fight to save Lichfield’s councils from the dangers of Labour’s devolution, push key decision makers to revive our decaying city centre and highlight the waste of local taxpayers’ money.”
The vote was called following the resignation of Scott Hollingsworth – but the Liberal Democrats failed to retain the seat after dropping to fourth in the poll as Morag Maclean won 217 votes, behind third placed Conservative candidate Marcus Simmons with 255.
The Green Party candidate David Melhuish collected 69 votes.
Turnout for the by-election was 25%.
Bravo! Well done to all of the volunteers (including me) pushing leaflets through doors and exercising their democratic right to free speech on local social media. Politics is realigning away from the Uniparty (Labour & conservative) – what’s the difference between them anyway? They all look the same to me! The next general election is where the real action will happen. I can’t wait…
The City Council was re-established in 1980 following ‘letters patent’ from the late Queen. It is effectively a parish council serving the city. As such it has limited power and to some extent plays a ceremonial role. While it is supposedly consulted by LDC on infrastructure and development policy it is rarely influential.
I don’t know if it will continue to exist following the unitary council implementation (we don’t get a say in this! Democracy?!) later this year. It is likely a new county Lord Mayor with extended powers will take its place.
This City Council election is probably short lived. The long history of Lichfields partial autonomy is coming to an end.
How can that be an election only a quarter bothered to vote. Should become compulsory to vote and have option to cast a no vote.
Well done best of luck at the meetings ? Let’s see some new ideas for our city ?
how did labour manage to come second 😂
Not a fan of party politics at parish level but alas I think that with the end of the district council looming parish councils will become more political as they become effectively the local voice.
Anyone not sure why Dave Robertson MP does not resign his council seat?
Well done -made the effort to canvass and talk to people in the area, not just stick leaflets through the door. Good luck.
Could the 394 voters in Stowe share with us which of their human rights they are happy to give up on leaving the ECHR? And how much they’ll be willing to pay for a GP appointment when ‘free at the point of use’ is removed as a concept in the NHS? Oh – silly me – it’ll be even more difficult to see a GP when all the immigrants are driven out so the price will be irrelevant.
Reform UK Party Limited, or at least their majority shareholder, Nigel Farage, told LBC recently that the French healthcare system could be a model for Britain’s NHS, appearing to back a move “where you pay in to effectively an insurance scheme.”
So, it will be interesting see if Mr Farage’s representative in Lichfield argues for these changes locally over the coming months.
Well done Reform, this is the shape of things to come our new MP was only voted in to get rid of MF
This city is pathetic
Why are there no complaints about about other MPs having other jobs such as being a gold bullion salesperson or hosting a regular programme on a TV propaganda station?
Seems rather selective to reasonable people.
I didn’t realise Lichfield had so many morons that reform UK stood any chance of a seat
Hopefully a thing to come up and down the country and get these Liebour clowns out! Now get things done instead of the waffle and also help locals that matter not the greedy or the freeloaders, time to use common sense and straight talking !
Oh Steven grow up. Everyone knows that Lichfield City Council doesnt control health policy.
Long live the disrupters and long may it kick failing politicians and their orthodox hangers on like you in the ballots.
Lichvegas Baby couldn’t have put it better myself. I hope that the days of lazy, predictable, out of date, slow, cumbersome, policy obsessed, point scoring politicians and horrifically poor self serving local councils patting themselves on the back while providing inadequate public service over. Reform all the way.
The only workable policy I could find in Farage’s ‘contract’ aka manifesto for the GE was making St George’s day a national holiday. Fantasy solutions are all they have.
These are just some of labours promises just before the GE , not to raise any taxes , compensating waspi’s , cutting energy bills , protecting pensioners , protecting British farming , protecting any rises in council tax. Protecting our borders. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor have said judge us on our actions and results and it looks the people of lichfield are doing that.
Sorting out 14 years of economic mismanagement was never going to be popular for Labour in the short term. To make matters worse, now Nigel Farage’s US friends are dumping on the UK and Europe.