Lichfield (district)

Lichfield District (ˈlɪtʃˌfiːld) is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement, the city of Lichfield, which is where the district council is based. The district also contains the towns of Burntwood and Fazeley, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The neighbouring districts are Cannock Chase, Stafford, East Staffordshire, South Derbyshire, North West Leicestershire, North Warwickshire, Tamworth, Birmingham and Walsall. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time: Lichfield Municipal Borough Lichfield Rural District (except the parish of Brindley Heath, which went to Cannock Chase) The borough of Lichfield had held city status from time immemorial. When the new district was created the area of the former borough became an unparished area with charter trustees to preserve its city status and other civic dignities. In 1980 the area of the former borough was made a civil parish, the charter trustees were wound up and the city status was re-conferred onto the new parish of Lichfield. As such, "Lichfield City Council" is a parish council, whilst "Lichfield District Council" is a district council with wider powers and covering the much larger area of Lichfield District. Between 2011 and 2023, Lichfield formed part of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. Lichfield District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Staffordshire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being run by a Conservative minority administration. The first election to the district council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974.