Labour's electoral plan for Lichfield 'crazy' - MP Michael Fabricant

Labour has submitted its suggestions – including plans to merge parts of the constituency with areas of Walsall – but city MP Michael Fabricant has said they make a mockery of local identity.

He said: “While I fight for the Lichfield and Burntwood constituency by trying to keep Streethay in Lichfield, Labour wants to see the constituency broken up and the city of Lichfield combined with parts of Walsall.

“It would cross county and district boundaries and make a total mockery of local identity.”

He added: “It gets madder. They want Burntwood removed and twinned instead with Stone in North Staffordshire!”

“Whoever has proposed this in the Labour Party either doesn’t know the area or knows no shame.”

A total of 374 people wrote to the Boundary Commission to object to proposals to remove Streethay from the Lichfield parliamentary constituency.

Mr Fabricant said: “This is one of the largest number of responses received by the commission for anywhere in England.

“Words used to describe the proposal include ridiculous, stupid, incredible, bizarre, ludicrous, crazy, baffling, illogical, and unacceptable.

“I agree.”

He added: “I will make further representations to keep Streethay in Lichfield in early March when I appear in person before the commissioners in Stafford.

“I urge others to do so too.”

Lichfield Constituency Labour Party chair, Councillor Dave Robertson gave a lukewarm response to his party’s proposals – which are decided nationally rather than by local representatives.

He said: “The proposal from HQ represents – given the criteria that the Electoral Commission set – the least worst way of keeping Lichfield whole, including Streethay – and keeping Burntwood whole.”

He added: “If they allowed us to split local local government wards, it may be that very little change is needed.

“And actually, all that happens [in that case] is Whittington and some of the more rural areas surrounding Whittington and Streethay are transferred to Tamworth.”

The Boundary Commission is understood to be against the idea of splitting up council ward areas when it finalises the new boundaries.

The final plans will determine which constituency area their member of parliament will represent.

Councillor Robertson believes the Labour proposals as they stand are not ideal, but that they are the most acceptable plan under the guidelines set by the Boundary Commission.

“The idea that you’d be separating Streethay off to go into Tamworth is just beyond the pale,” he said. “It makes no sense whatsoever.

“Unfortunately with the way that the Electoral Commission has written the sub-regions – where Staffordshire was included with the Black Country only – it meant that in our corner of Staffordshire and across Mid-Staffordshire there was no easy solution.”

Councillor Robertson said the Boundary Commission’s initial proposals were not suitable.

“The proposals that, in the end, the party has come out with were the only way of not having boundaries running down the middle of Burntwood, and keeping Streethay as part of Lichfield," he said.

“It would separate Lichfield and Burntwood, which we weren’t happy with, but we’d rather have a boundary between two towns than down the middle of a town or separating Streethay off from Lichfield.”

Councillor Robertson reiterated his view that a more suitable solution could be presented if the Boundary Commissioned did not require the new parliamentary constituencies to follow the boundaries of local government wards.

The Labour Party is calling for a Lichfield & Aldridge constituency – which would comprise three council ward areas from Walsall and 11 from the Lichfield district. Five of these currently form part of the Tamworth constituency.

Labour’s proposals would see the Tamworth seat take in the Lichfield district wards of Alrewas & Fradley and Needwood.

They would also create a new Mid-Staffordshire seat which would incorporate Stone, Penkridge and Burntwood.

Under their suggestions, the Mid-Staffordshire constituency would also take in the Huntington & Hatherton ward from South Staffordshire.