Brexit continues to threaten us with national catastrophe. The Prime Minister's Chequers plan (which must now be dead in the water) would leave us complying with EU rules, but without our current ability to influence them. Extremism within her own party is a growing problem; polls show that a majority of pro-Brexit Tory voters in England would prefer to break-up the UK and jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland than stay in the EU.

As a local party we are strong supporters of new housing and especially affordable housing in Lichfield district. On this subject Lichfield Tories have failed to deliver. The Conservative led Council's target for 2017/18 was planning permission for 1300 homes. In fact, permission was granted for only 416 homes, and only 120 affordable homes were built. We simply must do better.

What's YOUR take? What are YOUR ideas for Friarsgate? We'd love to hear from you.

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With the original plans for the Lichfield Friarsgate development now in ruins, Miles Trent has spoken on behalf of the Lichfield Liberal Democrats on the subject, and presented some ideas for the future.

From Lichfield Live

The MP for Lichfield and Burntwood should step down and let a decent person replace him, according to a Liberal Democrat councillor.

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant came under fire after he posted a message- which he later deleted - depicting the London Mayor's head on an inflatable pig engaged in a sex act with another inflatable pig in front of an image of Donald Trump.

Lee Cadwallader-Allan is the Liberal Democrat candidate for the by-election in Curborough ward for Lichfield district council on July 5th

Lee Cadwallader-Allan has lived in the Lichfield and Burntwood area for twelve years, married, with his extended family living nearby. Following his graduation in 2005 from Keele University, Lee, a native of Shropshire, has always worked in the Midlands. He has worked in the NHS for the past ten years, in an acute hospital, a mental health trust, and his current post as a management accountant is with NHS England.
"I am passionate about health and social care. My professional experience enables me to campaign effectively for our vital local health and care services," Lee says. He is a member of the local Quaker community, and is active in the community on issues such as equality, justice, and peace, including such matters as adequate public transport services, and affordable housing in the Lichfield area.
"We must not let cuts to local government funding hit those who are relying on the services provided by the Council," he says. "Any cuts must be applied fairly, and should not have a disproportionate impact on those in need."

From Lichfield Live today.

The long-awaited city centre redevelopment scheme for Friarsgate collapsed last week after the Cabinet at Lichfield District Council voted against footing a £49million bill to ensure it went ahead after private funding failed to materialise.

Lib Dem councillor Paul Ray insists the council cannot let the land blot the city's landscape for too long. He adds: "We are now in a total mess and there are serious questions for Cllr Mike Wilcox and the Conservative administration of Lichfield District Council to answer.

Crown ward is on the edge of Staffordshire, south of the River Dove. It covers the villages of Hanbury, Draycott and Marchington. The by-election in this safe Conservative seat was caused by the resignation of the previous councillor. Once again, the Conservatives held the seat.

This was the first time this century the Liberal Democrats stood a candidate in Crown ward. The party managed to deliver a leaflet to almost all of this very spread out ward. Many thanks to those who were generous with their time. The response on the doorstep was fairly encouraging and that was reflected in a promising result, almost taking second place in a previously uncontested area.

A Liberal Democrat councillor says the financial stability of Lichfield District Council should not be jeopardised by a desire to get the Friarsgate project off the ground.

An artist's impression of the new Friarsgate development

The local authority has drawn up a plan to foot the bill for the long-awaited city centre development after private finance did not materialise.