A councillor has branded the civic car as “pretentious and costly” as a debate begins over the future of the vehicle.
Lichfield District Council says around £3,000 a year could be saved if it opts not to renew the civic car when the lease ends.
Previous calls for the vehicle to be ditched have been rejected amid fears over the safety of civic leaders travelling with their gold chains.
But Cllr Rob Birch, Labour representative for Boney Hay and Central ward, said the vehicle was no longer a necessary item for the council to fund.
“There is no need for the car – pretentious and costly is how I would sum it up. And what for?
“The security argument is laughable unless the chauffeur is either licensed to carry arms or trained in armed combat.”
Cllr Robert Birch, Lichfield District Council
Cllr Liz Little, Conservative member for Little Aston and Stonnall, said the car was viewed by residents as “an unnecessary accessory”.
“I sat on the task group which looked at this back in 2016 and the reasons for keeping the car then were unfounded, with the main reason being security of chain which could have been mitigated.
“Let’s see what the residents view of this is over this as back in 2016 it was quite clear that the car was seen as an unnecessary accessory.”
Cllr Liz Little, Lichfield District Council
The civic car has been included on a list of potential savings the council could make to help balance the books and plug a potential funding gap in the coming years.
