Shining Light On Local Democracy
Independent journalism holding Cannock Chase District Council to account. We read the boring documents, so you don’t have to – giving our community the transparency we deserve.
Latest Articles
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Meet Cannock Chase’s Senior Management Team
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The TaxPayers’ Alliance released its Town Hall Rich List 2026 this week – the 20th annual catalogue of what local councils pay their most senior people, timed with characteristic relish to land just as residents open their new council tax…
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You Can’t Be Part of This Gang
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19 November 2025 – Cabinet Meeting What happens when the most important council meeting you never knew about becomes impossible to ignore? On Tuesday 19th November 2025, Cannock Chase District Council’s Cabinet held a public meeting to consider one of…
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The Paradox of Success: When Good Numbers Hide Hard Truths
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6 November 2025 – Cabinet Meeting The numbers looked brilliant. Investment income up. Budget underspend across multiple departments. Revenue collection smashing targets. On paper, Cannock Chase District Council’s Cabinet meeting on 6 November should have been a victory lap. Instead,…
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The Night They Found £2.3 Million Down the Back of the Government Loan Sofa
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5 November 2025 – Full Council Meeting Remember, remember, the fifth of November. Not for gunpowder, treason and plot, but for the night Cannock Chase District Council decided it could afford £2.3 million for capital investment in leisure facilities –…
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When a Demolition Consultant Did More for Democracy Than a Planning Report
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Planning Control Committee – 15th October 2025 Sometimes ten minutes of straight talk from a demolition expert achieves more public reassurance than a twenty-page planning officer’s report. This Planning Control Committee meeting was that moment. The application before councillors was…
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Cabinet’s £2.3 Million Gamble on Leisure
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9 October 2025 – Cabinet Meeting There’s a particular kind of tension that fills a room when people are deciding what gets funded and what gets forgotten. This Cabinet meeting had it in spades – councillors approving a £2.3 million…
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The Handover
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Full Council Meeting – 24 September 2025 There’s something revealing about transition meetings. When power changes hands, you get to see not just who’s leaving and who’s arriving, but how the machinery actually works. The September Full Council meeting was…
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The Flexibility That Wasn’t Mentioned
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16th September 2025 – When two days makes all the difference On 2nd September 2025, the government published details of its funding simplification programme on Gov.UK. The announcement was clear: multiple local government funding streams, including Levelling Up Funds, would…
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The Theatre of Scrutiny
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The recent Responsible Council Scrutiny Committee wasn’t really about the Prince of Wales Theatre. Not fundamentally. Yes, the agenda said it was examining Cabinet’s decision to reject the community asset transfer bid. Yes, two hours were spent discussing evaluation criteria,…
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How Democracy Dies Behind Procedural Ground Rules
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4th September 2025 – The night the Prince of Wales Theatre’s fate was sealed (again) There’s something darkly comedic about watching democracy performed rather than practiced. The latest cabinet meeting had all the hallmarks: the procedural ground rules, the five-minute…