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# Lichfield and Burntwood residents told to make their voices heard on cuts
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/lichfield-and-burntwood-residents-told-to-make-their-voices-heard-on-cuts/
- Published: 2013-06-19T09:14:04.000Z
- Updated: 2013-06-19T09:28:47.000Z
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:24, News

Residents in Lichfield and Burntwood have been warned that they must stand up and fight for services facing the axe as part of widespread cuts.

Lichfield District Council is [planning to make £1.7million worth of savings](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2013/06/18/lichfield-and-burntwood-to-feel-the-full-force-of-1-7million-cuts-plan/) in the next year as part of its Fit for the Future review.

The first stage of the process of ratifying the proposals – which include severe reductions to leisure, community transport and other services – will take place when the local authority’s overview and scrutiny committee meet tomorrow (June 20).

Members from both the Labour and Conservative side of the council will be able to discuss the route the Cabinet is taking to make the savings without any pressure from their political parties.

The meeting will take place in the Council Chamber at 6pm and Labour group leader Cllr Steve Norman believes now is the time for residents to make their feelings known.

[![Cllr Steve Norman](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/stevenormancrop.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2012/04/24/lichfield-district-council-not-convinced-over-need-for-return-to-weekly-bin-collections/stevenormancrop/)

Cllr Steve Norman

“It important that good scrutiny is seen to be done this Thursday,” he said. “Members from both parties should be asking questions and testing the assumptions made in the Fit for the Future’ document produced by the Leader and the new Chief Executive.

“The proposed budget cuts are severe and it is extremely difficult to see where further ‘efficiencies’ can be made without actually cutting valued services. Nevertheless that is the duty of all elected members and those on scrutiny committees in particular where there is no party political whip.

“This meeting, called to look at the strategic and governance aspect of the proposed £1.7 million worth of budget cuts for next year, will not be getting into the details as that will be the responsibility of the other scrutiny committees.

“However, this is the opportunity to hold the Cabinet to account with regard to its approach and strategy for dealing with the problem of reduced government grant and no confidence by businesses to invest and house builders to build.

“With the meeting being held in the Council Chamber there is no excuse for interested members of the public and press not to be there to see that the scrutiny process is done well. It will be no good complaining when a valued service is lost if public support has been absent during the discussions.”

Cllr Norman has also criticised local Conservative MPs Michael Fabricant and Christopher Pincher over the cuts, which have been sparked by a reduction in central government funding.

“Lichfield District Council’s Parliamentary representatives, Mr Fabricant and Mr Pincher, seem to have hung their own district Conservative colleagues out to dry over this issue, presumably because they side with the Local Government Minister, Eric Pickles,” Cllr Norman added.