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Lichfield District

Coordinates: 52°40′51″N 1°49′39″W / 52.6809°N 1.8276°W / 52.6809; -1.8276
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Lichfield District
Non-metropolitan district
Lichfield Cathedral and city centre from air
Lichfield Cathedral and city centre from air
Official logo of Lichfield District
Council logo
Shown within Staffordshire
Shown within Staffordshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionWest Midlands
Ceremonial countyStaffordshire
Admin HQLichfield
Created1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district
 • LeaderDoug Pullen[1]
 • CouncilNo overall control
 • MPs:Michael Fabricant C
Christopher Pincher C
Area
 • Total127.9 sq mi (331.3 km2)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total108,352 (Ranked 222nd)
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Post Code
WS7, 9, 13-15, DE13, B74-78
Area code01543
Websitehttp://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/

Lichfield (UK: /ˈlɪtʃˌfiːld/[2]) is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is administered by Lichfield District Council, based in Lichfield.

The dignity and privileges of the City of Lichfield are vested in the parish council of the 14 km² Lichfield civil parish. The non-metropolitan district of Lichfield covers nearly 25 times this area and its local authority is Lichfield District Council.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the existing City of Lichfield with most of the Lichfield Rural District.[3]

Geography

The district includes areas in two parliamentary constituencies: Lichfield and Tamworth.[4]

Settlements within the district

Politics

See also: Lichfield District Council elections

Elections to the district council are held every four years, with all of the 56 seats on the council being elected. The council has been controlled by the Conservative party, except for a period of no overall control between 1973 and 1976, and a period of Labour control between 1995, and 1999.[5]

The current (November 2021) political composition of Lichfield District Council is:[6]

Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat Independent
34 10 1 1

Since 2011, Lichfield has formed part of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership along with neighbouring authorities Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Redditch, Solihull, Tamworth and Wyre Forest.

Responsibilities

  • Sport, leisure and recreation
  • Parks
  • Arts and tourism (including the Lichfield Garrick Theatre)
  • Housing advice
  • Housing and council tax benefits
  • Local plans
  • Planning and building control
  • Environmental health
  • Waste and recycling collections
  • Street cleaning
  • Licensing and inspections of food, taxis, etc.
  • Off street parking and car parks
  • Collection of council tax and business rates
  • Community safety and community development

Political control

Lichfield District Council
Type
Type
History
Founded1974 (1974)
Leadership
Leader
Doug Pullen, Conservative
Deputy Leader
Iain Eadie, Conservative
Seats47
Elections
First past the post
Last election
3 May 2019
Meeting place
District Council House, Lichfield
Website
lichfielddc.gov.uk

The council is majority Conservative controlled[7] and the leader since 2019 has been Doug Pullen,[8] who succeeded Mike Wilcox.[7]

Before May 2011, the second largest group was the Liberal Democrat and Independent Alliance set up after the 2007 elections. They were made up of Liberal Democrat and independent councillors.[9]

At the 2011 elections the Conservatives retained overall control. The Liberal Democrats and Independent councillors lost all of their 7 seats at the election. Of the 56 seats, the council is divided between Conservatives (46) and Labour (10).[10]

Wards

Lichfield District’s 22 wards are:[11]

Lichfield City

  • Boley Park,
  • Chadsmead,
  • Curborough
  • Leomansley,
  • St John’s,
  • Stowe,

Burntwood

Outlying villages

Demographics

According to mid-2020 estimates,[12] the population of Lichfield district is 105,637, with 53,583 (50.7%) of the population female.

In the 2011 census,[13] 69% of the population reported their religion as Christianity, and 23% reported no religion. 6% did not state a religion, with the remainder reporting other religions.[13] The most common ethnicity was White British, 94.6%, followed by Other White, 1.5%, and Asian/Asian British: Indian, 0.9%.[13]

Places of interest

Drayton Manor Theme Park
Lichfield Cathedral
Bishop's Palace
A path in Beacon Park
Minster Pool with Lichfield Cathedral in the background
Chasewater

Adventure and excitement

Arts and entertainment

History and heritage

  • Lichfield Cathedral - The only medieval cathedral in Europe with three spires. The present building was started in 1195, and completed by the building of the Lady Chapel in the 1330s. It replaced a Norman building begun in 1085 which had replaced one, or possibly two, Saxon buildings from the seventh century.
  • Cathedral Close - Surrounding the Cathedral with its many fine buildings is one of the most unspoilt in the country.
  • Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum - A museum to Samuel Johnson's life, work and personality.
  • Erasmus Darwin House - Home to Erasmus Darwin, the house was restored to create a museum which opened to the public in 1999.
  • Lichfield Heritage Centre - in St Mary's Church in the market square, an exhibition of 2,000 years of Lichfield's history.
  • Historical HouseBishop's Palace - Built in 1687, the palace was the residence of the Bishop of Lichfield until 1954, it is now used by the Cathedral School.
  • Milley's Hospital - Located on Beacon Street, it dates back to 1504 and was a women's hospital.
  • Historical HouseHospital of St John Baptist without the Barrs - A distinctive Tudor building with a row of eight brick chimneys. This was built outside the city walls (barrs) to provide accommodation for travellers arriving after the city gates were closed. It now provides home for elderly people and has an adjacent Chapel.
  • Church of St Chad - A 12th-century church though extensively restored, on its site is a Holy Well by which St Chad is said to have prayed and used the waters healing properties.
  • St Michael on Greenhill - Overlooking the city the ancient churchyard is unique as one of the largest in the country at 9 acres (4 ha).
  • Christ Church - An outstanding example of Victorian ecclesiastical architecture and a grade II* listed building.
  • The Franciscan Friary - The ruins of the former Friary in Lichfield, now classed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
  • Lichfield Clock Tower - A Grade II listed 19th century clock tower, located south of Festival Gardens.
  • Letocetum - The remains of a Roman Staging Post and Bath House, in the village of Wall, 1-mile (1.6 km) south of the city.
  • Staffordshire Regiment Museum - 2.5 miles (4 km) east of the city in Whittington, the museum covers the regiment's history, activities and members, and include photographs, uniforms, weapons, medals, artifacts, memorabilia and regimental regalia. Outdoors is a replica trench from World War I, and several armoured fighting vehicles.
  • The Market Square - In the centre of the city of Lichfield, the square contains two statues, one of Samuel Johnson overlooking the house in which he was born, and one of his great friend and biographer, James Boswell.

Parks and the great outdoors

Shopping and retail

Plans have been approved for Friarsgate, a new £100 million shopping and leisure complex opposite Lichfield City Station. The police station, bus station, Ford garage and multi-storey car park will be demolished to make way for new retail space and leisure facilities consisting of a flagship department store, six-screen cinema, hotel, 37 individual shops, 56 apartments and over 700 car parking spaces.

Staffordshire Hoard Discovery

A selection of 'star items' from the Staffordshire Hoard

Discovered in a field near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield City, in Staffordshire, on 5 July 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found. It consists of nearly 4,000 items that are nearly all martial in character.[14] The artefacts have tentatively been dated to the 7th or 8th centuries, placing the origin of the items in the time of the Kingdom of Mercia.

The hoard was valued at £3.285 million, and was purchased by the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery where items from the hoard are displayed.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lichfield.

References

  1. ^ Ross (9 May 2019). "All change at Lichfield District Council after Conservatives vote for new leader". Lichfield Live. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Lichfield". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Council History". Lichfield City Council. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Your MPs". Lichfield District Council. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Lichfield". BBC News Online. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  6. ^ "Your Councillors by Party". Lichfield District Council. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Lichfield District Council - Councillors". Lichfielddc.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  8. ^ "All change at Lichfield District Council after Conservatives vote for new leader". lichfieldlive.co.uk. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  9. ^ Councillors by Political Party: Liberal Democrat and Independent Alliance
  10. ^ BBC News - Election 2011, retrieved 7 May 2011
  11. ^ "Your Councillors". Lichfield District Council. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  12. ^ "MYE1: Population estimates: Summary for the UK, mid-2020". Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "UK Census Data: Lichfield". Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  14. ^ "The Find". Staffordshire Hoard. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2011.

52°40′51″N 1°49′39″W / 52.6809°N 1.8276°W / 52.6809; -1.8276

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