Lichfield Labour announces candidates for County Council Elections
The County Council elections on 1st May have a greater significance than normal. It is important for the scale of expenditure (the County Council spends 3/4th of a billion delivering services), and the Tories have had control there for 16 years. What have they done with those 16 years? Driven services into the ground- an almost entirely privatised children’s care home system, a dysfunctional SEND process and moon crater roads.
But this year as we head towards Unitary Authority Status the selection of County Council Members will have a bit affect on the type of Unitary Authority. Whether it is one that continues the failed policy of outsourcing all experience and skill, or a Labour one focused on providing services for residents.
Labour introduced our Candidates at its Launch Event, with support from the West Bromwich Labour group. Wishing Kate Greening, Jacob Marshall and Ben Watkins well for a hectic campaign.
A great team of Labour Party Members from West Bromwich (together with their and our MP!) came to Lichfield to help us with Canvassing for the County Council Elections on May 1st.
Really wonderful to have their support! Thanks you!
The Lichfield Labour Party team is looking forward to welcoming you all to the Lunar New Year celebration in the Guildhall on Saturday February 1st! Doors will be open from noon to 3pm and we hope that we have something to please everyone… The Town Crier has kindly offered to call you all in!
The Kai Ming Association will be demonstrating their Tai Chi Chuan, with an opportunity for you to participate. There will be plenty of activities to join in with such as Calligraphy, Origami, Table Decoration making (and a chance to buy), Mask Colouring, some face painting and even the chance to try and speak a few words of greeting in Cantonese! Try the Chopstick Challenge and your luck at the Tombola.
There will be opportunities to register to participate in sports, such as Sailing, Golf, Badminton and Wing Chun, whilst folk who have purchased a house with a garden for the first time can register for an opportunity to find out what they can do with it!
There will be assistance and support, with Job 22 looking to help those wanting to upgrade their employment, Labour Councillors will be on hand to provide advice and support, whilst East and South East Asians for Labour will be here to help put across why Labour is the political party for us all.
Finally QT will be here making their wonderful waffles, whilst tea and coffee will also be available.
It is all free! The event has been funded and organised by Lichfield Labour – so we do ask that if you can, please make a Donation, all of which will go to MHA Charity – supporting the elderly to live more fulfilling lives.
The City Council By Election in the Stowe Ward will be contested by our very own Matthew Turner!
Matthew comes from this area and lives with his wife and baby daughter in the city. He is a human rights barrister and works to support others, particularly the vulnerable. He will be working for others in Stowe if we all get together and elect him!
Please, if you live in the Stowe Ward, can you make every effort to either cast your postal vote or turn up to vote in person for Matthew on Thursday February 13th. City Council by elections have a relatively low turnout so your vote is especially important – if you vote Labour!
The seat was held by the Lib Dems but we know that Reform and others are contesting it as well. We really want to show Reform that they are not the way Lichfield wants to go, so please do vote…vote Matthew.
The scale of the waste dumped on Watery Lane on was staggering.
Your Labour MP, Dave Robertson, was shocked by the scale when he visited the site on the morning it was discovered. He has raised the matter in the House of Commons and has made the following comment
“This was not a few tyres out the back of a transit van,” Mr Robertson said.
“This was an industrial scale, enormous fly-tip, which meant that the lane was completely unpassable from the north.”
The risk to residents and the loss of trading for commercial premises near the site is significant and Dave will be following up the matter to ensure that the illegal dumpers are caught and brought to justice.
Thank you to all the very large number of Labour supporters who went out on Saturday 18th January to find and report potholes throughout the Burntwood and Lichfield region. Wow, did we find some!
Potholes are almost always a matter for the County Council. In Staffordshire the Tory County Council has outsourced the pot hole repair work, and many would say it has not been a great success. The new Labour government has provided ring fenced funding to repair potholes so we are beginning to see a difference with many repairs taking place. However years of neglect means that there is still an awful lot to do.
Everywhere our volunteers went they found holes, and reported them. Our task now is to see how many are repaired within the next few weeks.
It is nice that some of the Conservative Councillors clearly felt we had touched a nerve as they rushed out to find holes that they claimed that they had filled. Nice try – but we know how many have not been filled!
We have the County Council Elections in May – we need every Labour vote that we can to stop the madness that has been the outsourcing of so many skills from County Hall. Please do volunteer to help Labour get the best result possible.
A great bit of casework from Lichfield City Cllr Jacob Marshall about ongoing flooding for the last couple of years. Let’s hope this means Staffordshire County Council will finally sort this issue.
