strength
Burntwood Park has more inclusive places to spend time
New play, picnic and teenage social facilities have been completed.
Proposed response: Keep the facilities accessible, clean and in good repair.
What could help →Lichfield, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Lichfield
Lichfield local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £1,103 a month (August 2026) in Lichfield council area. This is £356 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.3% in Little Aston & Stonnall to 18.7% in Bourne Vale — a gap of 12.4 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →strength
Bring support closer to people in poor health
5% of people reported bad or very bad health in Lichfield council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.9% in Boley Park to 6.9% in Stowe — a gap of 4 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
The former department store still needs a viable new use
The cinema redevelopment is advanced, but completion and operator fit-out remain.
Proposed response: Explain what is finished and what residents are still waiting for.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Connect the cinema’s opening work to its surrounding routes
The former Debenhams cinema conversion is advanced, with extra investment proposed; the nearby linear park remains a published design vision.
Proposed response: Keep the building’s remaining decisions separate from the surrounding access and park proposals.
What could help →opportunity
Make Christian Fields accessible beyond the entrance
The improvements link everyday walking and outdoor activity with inclusive access.
Proposed response: Check the complete route through the site, including connections to the leisure centre.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
24% of people in Lichfield council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.8% in Chasetown to 32.8% in Hammerwich with Wall — a gap of 17 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
Connect local skills to local opportunities
33.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Lichfield council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 10.2% in Boley Park to 24.1% in Curborough — a gap of 13.9 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Lichfield council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
What could help →opportunity
Turn published plans into visible progress
4 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 7.5% in Boley Park to 25.1% in Curborough — a gap of 17.6 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Extra costs and ownership decisions affect the cinema timetable
The July update proposed additional investment and an expected spring 2027 opening.
Proposed response: Publish the actual decision and distinguish proposed from approved costs.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Connect the cinema’s opening work to its surrounding routesFormer Debenhams cinema and leisure redevelopment: Construction advanced; additional investment proposed; Birmingham Road Linear Park: Design vision published; planning outcome unverified. See the dated project evidence. | Lichfield District Council and leisure operators; Lichfield District Council | |
| Make Christian Fields accessible beyond the entranceChristian Fields access and green-space improvements: Upper stairs restored; entrance works and further proposals described. Evidence dated 2026-03-31. | Lichfield District Council and Lichfield City Council with community partners | |
| Burntwood Park has more inclusive places to spend timeBurntwood Park improvements: Improvements completed. | Lichfield District Council | |
| The former department store still needs a viable new useFormer Debenhams cinema and leisure redevelopment: Construction advanced; additional investment proposed. | Lichfield District Council | |
| Extra costs and ownership decisions affect the cinema timetableFormer Debenhams cinema and leisure redevelopment: Construction advanced; additional investment proposed. | Lichfield District Council | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,103 a month (August 2026) in Lichfield council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.3% in Little Aston & Stonnall to 18.7% in Bourne Vale — a gap of 12.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 22 of 22 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population24% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.8% in Chasetown to 32.8% in Hammerwich with Wall — a gap of 17 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 22 of 22 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health5% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.9% in Boley Park to 6.9% in Stowe — a gap of 4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 22 of 22 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities33.6% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 10.2% in Boley Park to 24.1% in Curborough — a gap of 13.9 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 22 of 22 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 7.5% in Boley Park to 25.1% in Curborough — a gap of 17.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 22 of 22 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |