Fradley is a village and civil parish , in the Lichfield district, in the county of Staffordshire , England. In 1881 the parish had a population of 380.
64-571: The village is about 3 miles (5 km) north-east of the Lichfield and 1 mile south-west of Alrewas , consisting of two discrete areas, the older Fradley Village (signposted locally as simply "Fradley") and the newer Fradley South area which began development in the early 2000s and continues to be developed as of 2020. It is also located 9 miles (14 km) from Burton-on-Trent and 10 miles (16 km) from Rugeley . Fradley first appeared in 12th-century records as 'Frodeleye', or 'Frod's lea'. Fradley
128-433: A Sheriff . The Lichfield constituency sent two members to the parliament of 1304 and to a few succeeding parliaments, but the representation did not become regular until 1552; in 1867 it lost one member, and in 1885 its representation was merged into that of the county. The Lichfield constituency was abolished in 1950 and replaced with the Lichfield and Tamworth constituency . This constituency lasted until 1983, when it
192-471: A flagship department store, six-screen cinema, hotel, 37 individual shops and 56 flats. These plans have not gone ahead and new plans have been made for a cinema in the abandoned Debenhams building. Historically the Bishop of Lichfield had authority over the city. It was not until 1548, with Edward VI 's charter, that Lichfield had any form of secular government. As a reward for the support given to Mary I by
256-594: A monastery. It was because of this that the ecclesiastical centre of Mercia became settled as the Diocese of Lichfield , which was approximately 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the seat of the Mercian kings at Tamworth . In July 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard , the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, was discovered in a field in the parish of Hammerwich , 4 mi (6.4 km) south-west of Lichfield; it
320-665: A recreation of the Court of Arraye at the Guildhall , a procession of marching bands, morris men and carnival floats makes its way through the city and the Bower Queen is crowned outside the Guildhall. There is a funfair in the city centre, and another fair and jamboree in Beacon Park . The Lichfield Festival , an international arts festival, has taken place every July for 30 years. The festival
384-428: A thriving coaching city. This was a period of great intellectual activity; the city was the home of many famous people including Samuel Johnson, David Garrick , Erasmus Darwin and Anna Seward , prompting Johnson's remark that Lichfield was "a city of philosophers". Today, the city still retains its old importance as an ecclesiastical centre, and its industrial and commercial development has been limited. The centre of
448-423: A variety of civic events including live music and free historical tours of local landmarks. There are many parks, gardens and open spaces in the city. The city centre park is Beacon Park , which hosts a range of community events and activities throughout the year. Also in the city centre are two lakes, Minster Pool and Stowe Pool . The Garden of Remembrance, a memorial garden laid out in 1920 after World War I ,
512-637: A wider area than Lichfield city) has 28 members (from the nine wards of Boley Park, Burton Old Road West, Chadsmead, Curborough, Garrick Road, Leamonsley, St John's, Pentire Road and Stowe), who are elected every four years. After the 2019 parish council elections, the Conservatives remained in overall control, with the 28 seats being divided between the Conservatives (16), the Liberal Democrats (8), Labour (3) and Independent (1) who subsequently joined
576-479: Is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire , England . Lichfield is situated 18 miles (29 km) south-east of the county town of Stafford , 9 miles (14 km) north-east of Walsall , 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Tamworth and 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Burton upon Trent . At the time of the 2021 Census, the population was 34,738 and the population of the wider Lichfield District
640-600: Is a celebration of classical music, dance, drama, film, jazz, literature, poetry, visual arts and world music. Events take place at many venues around the city but centre on Lichfield Cathedral and the Garrick Theatre . Popular events include the medieval market in the Cathedral Close and the fireworks display which closes the festival. Triennially the Lichfield Mysteries , the biggest community theatre event in
704-737: Is equipped by Faurecia. It designs and manufactures seats, exhaust systems, interior systems (dashboards, centre consoles, door panels, acoustic modules) and decorative aspects of a vehicle (aluminium, wood). Faurecia's customers include the Volkswagen Group , Stellantis , Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi , Ford , General Motors , BMW , Daimler , Toyota , Tesla, Inc. , Hyundai-Kia , Jaguar Land Rover and BYD among others. Faurecia employs 8,300 engineers and technicians. The company operates over 300 production sites and 35 R&D centres in 37 countries worldwide, with 403 patents filed in 2017. About half of these sites are manufacturing plants operating on
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#1733092525936768-526: Is home to Central England Co-operative (and its predecessor Midlands Co-operative Society ), the second largest independent consumer co-operative in the UK. The Lichfield Greenhill Bower takes place annually on Spring Bank Holiday . Originating from a celebration that was held after the Court of Arraye in the 12th century, the festival has evolved into its modern form, but has kept many of its ancient traditions. After
832-433: Is located on Bird Street. Many other parks are located on the outskirts of the city: these include Brownsfield Park, Darnford Park, Shortbutts Park, Stychbrook Park, Saddlers Wood and Christian Fields. There are two public sports and leisure facilities in the city. Friary Grange Leisure Centre in the north-west of the city offers racket sports, a swimming pool, and sports hall and fitness gym. King Edward VI Leisure Centre in
896-721: Is now Lichfield Trent Valley railway station serving the West Coast Main Line , the London-Crewe line and acting as the terminus for the Cross-City Line . From 1849 until 1965, Alrewas railway station on the South Staffordshire Line was the closest passenger station to Fradley but was closed on 18 January 1965 by the British Railways Board. The Coventry Canal runs through the village and merges with
960-828: The British Army was formed at Lichfield in 1705 by Col. Luke Lillingstone in the King's Head tavern in Bird Street. In 1751 it became the 38th Regiment of Foot, and in 1783 the 1st Staffordshire Regiment ; after reorganisation in 1881 it became the 1st battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment . The arrival of the Industrial Revolution and the railways in 1837 signalled the end of Lichfield's position as an important staging post for coaching traffic. While nearby Birmingham (and its population) expanded greatly during
1024-549: The Domesday Book survey (1086), Lichfield was held by the bishop of Chester ; Lichfield was listed as a small village. The lord of the manor was the Bishop of Chester until the reign of Edward VI . In 1102 Bishop Peter's successor, Robert de Limesey , transferred the see from Chester to Coventry. The Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield had seats in both locations; work on the present Gothic cathedral at Lichfield began in 1195. (In 1837
1088-733: The Trent and Mersey Canal at nearby Fradley Junction . Several bridges cross the Coventry Canal in Fradley, including Bell Bridge which carries the A38. Sheasby Park, a large development in the south of the village, is under development and will introduce 624 new houses to the village. Additionally further housing development is in progress to the north of the canal. Fradley is served by Diamond bus services 12 and 12E connecting to Lichfield and Burton . These were previously operated by Midland Classic prior to
1152-525: The Triassic period. Mercia Mudstone underlies the north and north-eastern edges of the city towards Elmhurst and Curborough . The red sandstone underlying the majority of Lichfield is present in many of its ancient buildings, including Lichfield Cathedral and the Church of St Chad . The ground within the city slopes down from 116m in the north-west to 86m on the sandstone shelf where Lichfield Cathedral stands. To
1216-523: The just-in-time principle. Faurecia joined the United Nations Global Compact in 2004. The company was at the core of a bribery scandal in 2006 which led to the resignation and legal conviction of its then CEO Pierre Lévi. In 2023, the company merged with German auto parts manufacturer Hella , the merged business being named Forvia. In April 2024, L&T Technology Services partnered with Forvia Forge at €45 million deal. Faurecia
1280-491: The 1650s onwards, making it Staffordshire's most prosperous town. In the 18th century, and then reaching its peak in the period from 1800 to 1840, the city thrived as a busy coaching city on the main routes from London to the north-west and Birmingham to the north-east. It also became a centre of great intellectual activity, being the home of many famous people including Samuel Johnson , David Garrick , Erasmus Darwin and Anna Seward ; this prompted Johnson's remark that Lichfield
1344-526: The 4th century and the Romans had left by the 5th century. There have been scattered Romano-British finds in Lichfield and it is possible that a burial discovered beneath the cathedral in 1751 was Romano-British. There is no evidence of what happened to Letocetum after the Romans left; however, Lichfield may have emerged as the inhabitants of Letocetum relocated during its decline. A Cair Luit Coyd (" Fort Greywood")
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#17330925259361408-523: The Baptist; this guild functioned as the local government, until its dissolution by Edward VI , who incorporated the town in 1548. The policies of Henry VIII had a dramatic effect on Lichfield. The Reformation brought the disappearance of pilgrim traffic following the destruction of St Chad's shrine in 1538, which was a major loss to the city's economic prosperity. That year too the Franciscan Friary
1472-544: The Industrial Revolution, Lichfield remained largely unchanged in character. The first council houses were built in the Dimbles area of the city in the 1930s. The outbreak of World War II brought over 2,000 evacuees from industrialised areas. However, due to the lack of heavy industry in the city, Lichfield escaped lightly, although there were air raids in 1940 and 1941 and three Lichfeldians were killed. Just outside
1536-596: The Labour group. The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Lichfield (currently Councillor Robert Yardley ) is the civic head of the council and chairs council meetings. The council also appoints a Leader of Council to be the main person responsible for leadership of the council's political and policy matters. The council's current Leader is Councillor Mark Warfield. Lichfield is one of only 15 towns and cities in England and Wales which appoints
1600-614: The Market Place on 11 April 1612 for promoting himself as the divine Paraclete and Saviour of the world. In the English Civil War , Lichfield was divided. The cathedral authorities, supported by some of the townsfolk, were for the king, but the townsfolk generally sided with the Parliament. This led to the fortification of the close in 1643. Lichfield's position as a focus of supply routes had an important strategic significance during
1664-558: The Roman villa. Popular etymology has it that a thousand Christians were martyred in Lichfield around AD 300 during the reign of Diocletian and that the name Lichfield actually means "field of the dead" (see lich ). There is no evidence to support this legend. The earliest evidence of settlement is Mesolithic flints discovered on the high ground of the cemetery at St Michael on Greenhill , which may indicate an early flint industry. Traces of Neolithic settlement have been discovered on
1728-521: The Royalist cause in 1646 it again surrendered. The cathedral suffered extensive damage from the war, including the complete destruction of the central spire. It was restored at the Restoration under the supervision of Bishop Hacket , and thanks in part to the generosity of King Charles II . Lichfield started to develop a lively coaching trade as a stop-off on the busy route between London and Chester from
1792-503: The Stirling Centre near Fradley South in 2009, comprising retail units, offices and food outlets, Fradley was formally re-categorised as a 'key rural settlement'. Fradley has its own village hall which was completed in the early 2000s and an additional community hall on adjacent land. The village church, St. Stephen's Church, was built in 1861 on the corner of Church Lane and Old Hall Lane. A Victorian schoolhouse, which had stood beside
1856-556: The Wellingtons, there were a large number of Australians and some Canadians and Czechs. The RAF left in 1958 and the whole site was sold by the Air Ministry in 1962. St. Stephen's Church is home to the war graves of a number of Australian aircrew and one German Luftwaffe pilot who lost their lives during World War II. In 2000 a memorial to all who served at RAF Lichfield was constructed in Fradley. In 1998 major redevelopment started on
1920-519: The bailiffs and citizens during the Duke of Northumberland's attempt to prevent her accession, the Queen issued a new charter in 1553, confirming the 1548 charter and in addition granting the city its own Sheriff. The same charter made Lichfield a county separate from the rest of Staffordshire . It remained so until 1888. The City Council (not to be confused with Lichfield District Council , which has authority over
1984-451: The church since 1875, was demolished in 2008 to make room for modern classrooms at St. Stephen's Primary School. Fradley is close to the A38 road Ryknild Street (which became a dual-carriageway in 1958) and is served by bus services to Lichfield and Burton upon Trent . A railway line passes close to the eastern side of the village but no station exists in Fradley, the nearest passenger station
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2048-507: The city an archbishopric with authority over all the bishops from the Humber to the River Thames ; his appointee was Archbishop Hygeberht . This may have been motivated by Offa's desire to have an archbishop consecrate his son Ecgfrith as king, since it is possible Jænberht refused to perform the ceremony, which took place in 787. After King Offa's death in 796, Lichfield's power waned; in 803
2112-424: The city has over 230 listed buildings (including many examples of Georgian architecture ) and preserves much of its historic character. The origin of the modern name "Lichfield" is twofold. At Wall , 3.5 km (2.2 mi) south of the current city, there was a Romano-British village, Letocetum , a Common Brittonic place-name meaning "Grey wood", " grey " perhaps referring to varieties of tree prominent in
2176-421: The city, Wellington Bombers flew out of Fradley Aerodrome, which was known as RAF Lichfield . After the war the council built many new houses in the 1960s, including some high-rise flats, while the late 1970s and early 1980s saw the construction of a large housing estate at Boley Park in the south-east of the city. The city's population tripled between 1951 and the late 1980s. The city has continued expanding to
2240-448: The coaching trade such as coach builders, corn and hay merchants, saddlers, and tanneries began to thrive. The Corn Exchange was designed by T. Johnson and Son and completed in 1850. The invention of the railways saw a decline in coach travel, and with it came the decline in Lichfield's prosperity. By the end of the 19th century, brewing was the principal industry, and in the neighbourhood were large market gardens which provided food for
2304-531: The country, takes place at the cathedral and in the Market Place. It consists of a cycle of 24 medieval-style plays involving over 600 amateur actors. Other weekend summer festivals include the Lichfield Folk Festival and The Lichfield Real Ale , Jazz and Blues Festival. Lichfield Heritage Weekend, incorporating Dr Johnson's Birthday Celebrations, takes place on the third weekend in September with
2368-633: The depot being sold. Since 2024, Select Bus Services have operated service 33 between Lichfield and the new Anson Gardens/Fradley Manor estate. Construction on the Fradley Aerodrome (known as RAF Lichfield) started in 1939 and in August 1940 the Royal Air Force moved in, along with Hawker Hurricane , Airspeed Oxford and Avro Anson aircraft. Spitfire arrived in 1941 and Vickers Wellington aircraft followed in 1942. Alongside RAF personnel training in
2432-399: The former airfield, with the construction of factories, warehouses and 750 new houses. Today Fradley Park, a 300-acre warehousing and distribution development, covers most of the former airfield. Tenants of Fradley Park include Tesco , Faurecia , Hellman Worldwide Logistics, NTN Bearings (UK) , Newell Rubbermaid , Caterpillar Logistics, Swish UK Zytek and Palletways Birmingham. Fradley
2496-483: The growing populations of nearby Birmingham and the Black Country . Today there are a number of light industrial areas, predominantly in the east of the city, not dominated by any one particular industry. The district is famous for two local manufacturers: Armitage Shanks , makers of baths/bidets and showers, and Arthur Price of England , master cutlers and silversmiths. Many residents commute to Birmingham. The city
2560-609: The landscape, such as ash and elm . In the post-Roman period, Letocetum developed into Old Welsh Luitcoyt . The earliest record of the name in English is the Vita Sancti Wilfredi of around 715, describing when Chad moves from York to Lichfield in 669. "Chad was made Bishop of the Mercians immediately after his deposition; Wilfred gave him the place ( locus ) at Lichfield ( Onlicitfelda )". The prefix "on" indicates that
2624-465: The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork, was found 4 mi (6.4 km) south-west of Lichfield. The development of the city was consolidated in the 12th century under Roger de Clinton , who fortified the Cathedral Close and also laid out the town with the ladder-shaped street pattern that survives to this day. Lichfield's heyday was in the 18th century, when it developed into
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2688-724: The other on Harehurst Hill near the city boundary at Aldershawe where the level reaches 134 m. The city is built on the two sides of a shallow valley, into which flow two streams from the west, the Trunkfield Brook and the Leamonsley Brook, and out of which the Curborough Brook runs to the north-east, eventually flowing into the River Trent . The two streams have been dammed south of the cathedral on Dam Street to form Minster Pool and near St Chad's Road to form Stowe Pool . At
2752-457: The other. Bishop de Clinton also fortified the cathedral close and enclosed the town with a bank and ditch, and gates were set up where roads into the town crossed the ditch. In 1291 Lichfield was severely damaged by a fire which destroyed most of the town; however the Cathedral and Close survived unscathed. In 1387 Richard II gave a charter for the foundation of the guild of St Mary and St John
2816-472: The place given to Chad by Wilfrid was "in Lichfield", indicating the name was understood to apply to a region rather than a specific settlement. Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People , completed in 731, states that Chad acquired Licidfelth as his episcopal seat ( sedes episcolpalem ). These and later sources show that the name Letocetum had passed into Old English as Licid , to which
2880-603: The place where pilgrims gathered to worship at the shrine of St Chad: this practice continued until the Reformation , when the shrine was destroyed. In the Middle Ages, the main industry in Lichfield was making woollen cloth; there was also a leather industry. Much of the surrounding area was open pasture, and there were many surrounding farms. In the 18th century, Lichfield became a busy coaching centre. Inns and hostelries grew up to provide accommodation, and industries dependent on
2944-401: The primacy was restored to Canterbury by Pope Leo III after only 16 years. The Historia Brittonum lists the city as one of the 28 cities of Britain around AD 833. During the 9th century, Mercia was devastated by Danish Vikings . Lichfield itself was unwalled and the cathedral was despoiled, so Bishop Peter moved the see to the fortified and wealthier Chester in 1075. At the time of
3008-602: The seat since 1997, by a majority of 810. Sarah Edwards was elected to the Tamworth constituency in a byelection in 2023 and held the seat in the 2024 general election. Christopher Pincher was the previous MP until a highly publicised scandal in 2022 after which he had the Conservative whip revoked and subsequently sat as an independent before announcing his resignation in September 2023. Lichfield covers an area of approximately 5.41 sq mi (14.0 km ) in
3072-597: The see of Lichfield acquired independent status, and the style 'Bishop of Lichfield' was adopted.) In 1153 a markets charter was granted by King Stephen and, ever since, weekly markets have been held in the Market Square. Bishop Roger de Clinton was responsible for transforming the scattered settlements to the south of Minster Pool into the ladder-plan streets existing today. Market Street, Wade Street, Bore Street and Frog Lane linked Dam Street, Conduit Street and Bakers Lane on one side with Bird Street and St John Street on
3136-405: The south and east of the city centre is a ridge which reaches 103 m at St Michael on Greenhill . Boley Park lies on top of a ridge with its highest point on Borrowcop Hill at 113m. To the south-east the level drops to 69 m where Tamworth Road crosses the city boundary into Freeford. There is another high ridge south-west of the city where there are two high points, one at Berry Hill Farm at 123 m and
3200-463: The south of the city offers racket sports, a sports hall and an artificial turf pitch. Faurecia Faurecia SE (now FORVIA) is a French global automotive supplier headquartered in Nanterre , in the western suburbs of Paris . In 2022 it was the 7th largest international automotive parts manufacturer in the world and #1 for vehicle interiors and emission control technology. One in two automobiles
3264-540: The south side of the sandstone ridge occupied by Lichfield Cathedral . 2.2 mi (3.5 km) south-west of Lichfield, near the point where Icknield Street crosses Watling Street , was the site of Letocetum (the Brittonic *Lētocaiton, "Greywood"). Established in AD 50 as a Roman military fortress, it had become a civilian settlement ( vicus ) with a bath house and a mansio by the 2nd century. Letocetum fell into decline by
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#17330925259363328-532: The south-east of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. It is approximately 27 km (17 mi) north of Birmingham and 200 km (120 mi) north-west of London. The city is located between the high ground of Cannock Chase to the west and the valleys of the Rivers Trent and Tame to the east. It is underlain by red sandstone , deposited during the arid desert conditions of
3392-450: The time of the 2021 census, the population of the City of Lichfield was 34,738. Lichfield is 96.5% white and 66.5% Christian. 51% of the population over 16 were married. 64% were employed and 21% of the people were retired. All of these figures were higher than the national average. Lichfield's wealth grew along with its importance as an ecclesiastical centre. The original settlement prospered as
3456-558: The war, and both forces were anxious for control of the city. The Parliamentary commander Lord Brooke led an assault on the fortified close, but was killed by a deflected bullet on St Chad's day in 1643, an accident welcomed as a miracle by the Royalists. The close subsequently yielded to the Parliamentarians, but was retaken by Prince Rupert of the Rhine in the same year; on the collapse of
3520-502: The west. The Darwin Park housing estate has been under development for a number of years and has swelled the city's population by approximately 3,000. Plans were approved for Friarsgate, a new £100 million shopping and leisure complex opposite Lichfield City Station . The police station, bus station, Ford garage and multi-storey car park were to be demolished to make way for 22,000 m of retail space and 2,000 m of leisure facilities, consisting of
3584-523: Was "a city of philosophers". In the 1720s Daniel Defoe described Lichfield as 'a fine, neat, well-built, and indifferent large city', the principal town in the region after Chester. During the late 18th and early 19th century much of the medieval city was rebuilt with the red-brick Georgian style buildings still to be seen today. Also during this time, the city's infrastructure underwent great improvements, with underground sewerage systems, paved streets and gas-powered street lighting. An infantry regiment of
3648-465: Was 106,400. Notable for its three-spired medieval cathedral , Lichfield was the birthplace of Samuel Johnson , the writer of the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language . The city's recorded history began when Chad of Mercia arrived to establish his Bishopric in 669 AD and the settlement grew as the ecclesiastical centre of Mercia . In 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard ,
3712-552: Was appended the Old English word feld ("open country"). This word Lyccidfeld is the origin of the word "Lichfield". The modern day city of Lichfield and the Roman villa of Letocetum are just two miles (3 km) apart. While these names are distinct in modern usage, they had a common derivation in the Brittonic original * Letocaiton , indicating that "grey wood" referred to the region inclusive of modern-day Lichfield City and
3776-417: Was dissolved, the site becoming a private estate. Further economic decline followed the outbreak of plague in 1593, which resulted in the death of over a third of the entire population. Three people were burned at the stake for heresy under Mary I. The last public burning at the stake for heresy in England took place in Lichfield, when Edward Wightman from Burton upon Trent was executed by burning in
3840-644: Was first mentioned in 1768 when the Engineer James Brindley won the contract to build the canal from Coventry, to link with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Fradley. It was not until 1783 that this canal was completed, meeting the Trent and Mersey at Fradley Junction. arish Council [REDACTED] Media related to Fradley at Wikimedia Commons Lichfield 52°40′55″N 1°49′44″W / 52.682°N 1.829°W / 52.682; -1.829 Lichfield ( / ˈ l ɪ tʃ f iː l d / )
3904-411: Was formerly a township and chapelry in the parish of Alrewas, from 1866 Fradley was a civil parish in its own right, on 25 March 1884 the parish was abolished and merged with Alrewas, on 1 February 1996 that "Alrewas" was renamed " Alrewas and Fradley ", on 1 April 2009 it became part of " Fradley and Streethay ". Fradley once again became a separate parish on 1 April 2023. Following the completion of
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#17330925259363968-551: Was listed by Nennius among the 28 cities of Britain in his Historia Brittonum , although these were largely historic remembrances of early Sub-Roman Britain . The early history of Lichfield is obscure. The first authentic record of Lichfield occurs in Bede's history, where it is called Licidfelth and mentioned as the place where St Chad fixed the episcopal see of the Mercians in 669. The first Christian king of Mercia , Wulfhere , donated land at Lichfield for St Chad to build
4032-410: Was probably deposited in the 7th century. The first cathedral was built on the present site in 700 when Bishop Hædde built a new church to house the bones of St Chad, which had become the centre of a sacred shrine to many pilgrims when he died in 672. The burial in the cathedral of the kings of Mercia, Wulfhere in 674 and Ceolred in 716, further increased the city's prestige. In 786 King Offa made
4096-603: Was replaced with the Mid Staffordshire constituency . Based on the resident's location in Lichfield District, there are technically two MPs. The current Member of Parliament for Lichfield, including the whole of the city, is the Labour Politician Dave Robertson , who has been MP for Lichfield since the 2024 general election . Robertson won the seat from Conservative Michael Fabricant , who had held
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