> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Former chairman insists chauffeur driven car is “absolutely essential” if civic role is to continue - URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/former-chairman-insists-chauffeur-driven-car-is-absolutely-essential-if-civic-role-is-to-continue/ - Published: 2015-06-04T07:30:23.000Z - Updated: 2015-06-04T07:32:23.000Z - Description: A former Lichfield District Council chairman has insisted a chauffeur-driven car is “absolutely essential” if the civic roles are to continue. - Author: Lichfield Live - Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 20:42, News A former Lichfield District Council chairman has insisted a chauffeur-driven car is “absolutely essential” if the civic roles are to continue. The local authority’s overview and scrutiny committee [will debate the future of the luxury Jaguar XF](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2015/06/03/future-of-lichfield-district-council-chairmans-chauffeur-driven-car-to-be-debated/) next week. More than £16,000 has been set aside to cover the costs of the vehicle over the next year, but options including axing the car altogether are now being considered. [![Cllr David Leytham during his time as chairman of Lichfield District Council](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/cllr-david-leytham-chairman-of-ldc-v1.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2013/05/09/new-chairman-sworn-in-at-lichfield-district-council/cllr-david-leytham-chairman-of-ldc-v1/) Cllr David Leytham during his time as chairman of Lichfield District Council But Cllr David Leytham, who previously wore the chairman’s chains, said there were valid reasons for keeping the car on the road. “If the chairman is to continue the civic role and continue representing the district across the county and further afield, my view is that the car is absolutely essential,” he said. “There are several reasons, such as security because the chains are valuable and having the driver there means someone has got your back so to speak. “Then there’s access to venues. When a chairman is elected it is usually their first time in the role, but the drivers have been doing it for years and they know the ropes, so can help point out who’s involved and which entrances to use so you don’t stand there looking confused. “The car and chauffeur makes for a smoother transition.” The issue is likely to be hotly debated at next week’s meeting after a consultation last year saw 90% of residents call for the money spent on the chairman’s car to be reduced. But Cllr Leytham said his experience had been very different. “The public love it,” he insisted. “I never heard one criticism when I got into the car. “When the cars turn up to pick the civics up from a function, people always comment on how impressive the big black cars are lined up – they like to see it.” Many of those against renewing the car have pointed to it as a quick saving. But Cllr Leytham believes the practicalities of the role mean the equation isn’t quite so simple, insisting the vehicle was not a perk of the job. “With around 250 to 300 appointments in a year and sometimes several in a day, you can get exhausted. Trying to then drive to and from somewhere like the Staffordshire Moorlands can be a long slog. “Some of our chairman have been elderly and they wouldn’t get from A to B easily without a chauffeured car. “It’s a tool for the job not a perk -something you use because it’s what you need to do. “I know its nearly £17,000 but to cut it means the district would lose a lot. “If you paid a chairman to travel in their own car, you’d have the cost for extra insurance with business use and the added complication of carrying gold chains in the boot. Then there’s 45p a mile and it starts to add up. “That’s when the question will be asked about whether we can afford to let the chairman go to events and represent the area. “It’s about promotion, image and how we want the district to be represented.”