Cannock Chase District
Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox settlement
Cannock Chase is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Landscape in Staffordshire, England.
It gives its name to Cannock Chase District, a non-metropolitan local government district containing the towns of Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley and surrounding rural villages. The district borders South Staffordshire to the west, the Borough of Stafford to the north, Lichfield District to the east, and the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall to the south.
History
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering two former districts plus a single parish from a third, which were all abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
- Brindley Heath parish from Lichfield Rural District
- Cannock Urban District
- Rugeley Urban District
The new district was named Cannock Chase after the landscape and former royal forest which covers much of the area.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
Governance
Cannock Chase District Council, which styles itself "Cannock Chase Council", provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Staffordshire County Council. Much of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref><ref name=electionmaps>Template:Cite web</ref>
The council's logo is a deer, referencing the area's past as a royal hunting forest and the fact that deer are common in the area. A survey in 2022 found that the deer population was growing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Political control
The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2024 election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:<ref name=compositions>Template:Cite web (Put "Cannock Chase" in search box to see specific results.)</ref><ref name=change>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Party name with colour | 1974–1982 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1982–1987 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1987–2003 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2003–2012 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2012–2019 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2019–2021 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2021–2023 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2023–2024 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2024–present | |
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 1991 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Adamson<ref name=RM22May1991/> | Template:Party name with colour | May 1991 | ||
| Gordon Alcott<ref name=RM22May1991>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=RM12May1994/> | Template:Party name with colour | May 1991 | May 1994 | |
| Gwilym Roberts<ref name=RM12May1994>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=RM20May1999/> | Template:Party name with colour | May 1994 | May 1999 | |
| Mike Holder<ref name=RM20May1999>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=CCC29May2003/> | Template:Party name with colour | May 1999 | May 2003 | |
| Reg Cooper<ref name=CCC29May2003>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | May 2003 | 2005 | |
| Neil Stanley<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 2005 | May 2011 | |
| George Adamson<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 2011 | May 2021 | |
| Olivia Lyons<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 19 May 2021 | May 2023 | |
| Tony Johnson<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 24 May 2023 | ||
Composition
Following the 2024 election,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequent by-elections up to August 2025, the composition of the council was:<ref name=Thorncliffe>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Party name with colour | 19 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 11 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 5 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1 | |
| Total | 36 | |
The next election is due in May 2026.<ref name=Thorncliffe/>
Elections
Template:Also Since the last boundary changes took effect in 2024, the council has comprised 36 councillors representing 12 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office. Staffordshire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
The district covers the same area as the Cannock Chase (UK Parliament constituency). Until the 2010 general election the constituency also included the adjacent village of Huntington in South Staffordshire. From 2010 onwards the constituency has exactly the same boundaries as the district.<ref name=electionmaps/>
Premises
The council is based at the Civic Centre on Beecroft Road in Cannock.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The building was purpose-built for the council between 1978 and 1981.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Demography
According to data from the 2011 United Kingdom census, Cannock Chase has a population of 100,600, with 49,500 males and 51,100 females. 62.5% of the population is between the ages of 16–64, of which 88.7% is economically active, 11.2% above the West Midlands regional average.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Media
In terms of television, the area is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central (West) broadcasting from Birmingham. Television signals are received the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Radio stations for the area are:
- BBC Radio WM
- BBC Radio Stoke can also be received.
- Heart West Midlands
- Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands
- Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire
- Smooth West Midlands
- Capital Midlands
- Hits Radio Birmingham
- Cannock Chase Radio FM, the district's community based station which broadcast from its studios in Cannock. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Express & Star is the local newspaper that cover the district. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Towns and parishes
Much of the district is covered by eight civil parishes. The exception is certain parts of Cannock, which are unparished.<ref name=electionmaps/> The parish councils for Hednesford and Rugeley have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
When the district was created in 1974 it only contained one parish, being Brindley Heath; the former Rugeley Urban District and Cannock Urban District were both unparished. In 1988 two parishes called Rugeley and Brereton were created covering the former Rugeley Urban District, and four parishes called Bridgtown, Cannock Wood, Heath Hayes and Wimblebury, and Norton Canes were created covering parts of the former Cannock Urban District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The parish of Hednesford was subsequently created in 2000 from another part of the former Cannock Urban District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The parishes are: Template:Div col
- Brereton and Ravenhill
- Bridgtown
- Brindley Heath
- Cannock Wood
- Heath Hayes and Wimblebury
- Hednesford (town)
- Norton Canes
- Rugeley (town)
Other areas and settlements include: Template:Div col
- Chadsmoor
- Church Hill
- Hawks Green
- Hazelslade
- Littleworth
- Little Wyrley
- North Lanes
- Prospect Village
- Pye Green
- Rawnsley
- Slitting Mill
References
Template:Notelist Template:Reflist
Further reading
Template:Staffordshire Template:Navbox Template:Authority control