A Lichfield councillor who complained male candidates had been chosen by the Conservatives to replace her at the local elections has now been told she has been axed from the cabinet – just days before International Women’s Day.
Cllr Liz Little is currently sitting as an independent member after the decision was made to stop her standing for the Tories in the Stonnall and Little Aston ward in May.
She questioned the move to replace her with “two men aged over 60”, claiming the decision had been made due to her opposition to the Tamworth MP Christopher Pincher and her position as a “woman of childbearing age”.
Despite her being removed as a Conservative member at Lichfield District Council due to concerns she might seek to stand as an independent candidate against them in May – although Cllr Little says she has yet to decide on whether she will opt to do so – she could potentially have stayed on as a cabinet member until the elections.
There had been support within the senior ranks for Cllr Little, with cabinet member Cllr Richard Cox calling her de-selection a “terrible decision”, while council leader Cllr Doug Pullen said she had been “an excellent cabinet member and colleague”.
But the independent councillor has now been informed that she will now longer hold the post with responsibility for waste and recycling, with the title already removed from her profile on the local authority’s website.
Cllr Little said:
“Just in time for International Women’s Day, I have been removed from my cabinet portfolio.”
Cllr Liz Little, Lichfield District Council
Cllr Little’s departure comes after her appointment in 2022 when she was brought in following the resignation of the previous cabinet member in the wake of the controversial roll out of blue recycling bags across Lichfield and Burntwood.
She had previously served as a cabinet member for major projects before resigning in 2021 in a row over the impact of housing allocations, saying she could not play a part in making decisions she did not agree with.
Cllr Andy Smith will pick up the waste and recycling remit in the wake of Cllr Little’s removal from the leadership group. He will also retain his responsibility for leisure and parks.
