Lichfield: Your guide to the General Election
Lichfield is a seat that has been Tory since it was created in 1997 with flamboyant, floppy-haired MP Michael Fabricant at the helm.
Over the last four elections, Mr Fabricant has seen his majority increase every time from 238 up to 17,683.
In short, if Mr Fabricant loses here, it will not just signal the end of a Tory-led government, but the death of the Conservative Party. The seat is located in the middle of England – and its voter make-up is typically of Middle Englanders.
Unemployment has virtually vanished to under one per cent and the city centre is thriving with hardly an empty shop. There is also the prospect of a new multi-million pound shopping centre.
But the constituency can, in effect, be cut into two – with Lichfield on the one hand typically Tory and Burntwood on the other more likely to lean to Labour.
Big issues in and around Lichfield will be the HS2 line which will cut through the Eastern fringe of the city, destroying ancient woodlands, towering over canals, and slicing through historic Whittington Heath Golf Club. In Burntwood campaigners have been calling for a new health centre for 20 years. It was promised under the last government and then the funding removed by NHS England last year. Last time around the Liberal Democrats knocked Labour into third place with 20 per cent of the vote.
In 2010 the seat was contested by the Tories, Liberal Democrats, Labour and UKIP. At the moment it will be a six-way affair with the Greens and anarchist party Class War.
The Labour candidate is Chris Worsey, the Liberal Democrat candidate is Paul Ray, the Green candidate is Robert Pass, UKIP have chosen Derek Bennett and the Class War candidate is Andy Bennetts.
