No Levelling up money for Lichfield

'

Lib Dem Councillor Paul Ray has responded to the announcement two days ago that Conservative Lichfield District Council had failed with its Levelling-Up bid to fund the new leisure centre and the comments from Michael Fabricant MP that followed.

'

"The Conservatives are fighting between themselves when they should be fighting for our area.

I want to reiterate that I wanted the council to succeed in raising the funding to deliver the new leisure centre that the people of Lichfield need and deserve. But the council is failing the people of Lichfield because delivery of this new leisure centre is no way in sight.

'

Doug Pullen as Conservative leader of Lichfield District Council talks a good talk. But he has let us all down and it is clear that so much more should have done with this bid.

'

Also I am on a group overseeing the Conservatives' delivery of this new leisure centre. But no regular meetings of task group have been happening. These have only been happening after I chase and complain publicly.

'

The outburst from our MP, Michael Fabricant, on his own Conservatives at Lichfield District Council is unbelievable. The Conservatives are fighting between themselves when they should be fighting for our area.

'

They are just not working hard enough for our area. Councils in other areas have managed to secure money for leisure centres from the Levelling-Up Fund: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. So it can be done if only the Conservatives on our council really cared and were bothered.

'

We have the boarded-up Friarsgate site, no leisure centre, chaos with blue bag roll out, straining public services……it goes on and on. The Conservatives at Lichfield District Council are just not delivering. There are elections in May and residents need to tell the Conservatives that they have had enough and it's time for change."

'