Cannock Chase is a

local government district Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, England. It is named after and covers a large part of

Cannock Chase Cannock Chase, often referred to locally as The Chase, is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase National Landscape, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and muc ...

, a designated

National Landscape An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of rural area, countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for protected area, conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 202 ...

. The council is based in the town of

Cannock Cannock () is a town in the Cannock Chase district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It had a population of 29,018. Cannock is not far from the towns of Walsall, Burntwood, Stafford and Telford. The cities of Lichfield and Wolverhampton ...

. The district also contains the towns of

Hednesford Hednesford ( () is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase district of Staffordshire, England. The Cannock Chase area of natural beauty is to the north of the town. Hednesford is also to the north of Cannock and to the south of ...

and

Rugeley Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is north of Lichfield, southeast of Stafford, northeast of ...

, as well as a number of villages and surrounding rural areas. The district borders

South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Four Ashes, Great Wyrley, Huntington, ...

to the west, the

Borough of Stafford The Borough of Stafford is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England. It is named after Stafford, its largest town, which is where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns of Stone and Ecclesha ...

to the north,

Lichfield District Lichfield District () is a Non-metropolitan district, 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 c ...

to the east, and the

Metropolitan Borough of Walsall The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Walsall, but covers a larger area which also includes Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Darlaston, Pelsal ...

to the south.

History

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, covering two former districts plus a single parish from a third, which were all abolished at the same time: * Brindley Heath parish from

Lichfield Rural District Lichfield was a rural district in the county of Staffordshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It was enlarged in 1934 by gaining part of Staffordshire that had been administered since 1894 as part of Tamworth Rural District, which was otherwise in ...

Urban District An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

Urban District The new district was named Cannock Chase after the landscape and former

royal forest A royal forest, occasionally known as a kingswood (), is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The term ''forest'' in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the ...

which covers much of the area.

Governance

Cannock Chase District Council, which styles itself "Cannock Chase Council", provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by

Staffordshire County Council Staffordshire County Council is the upper-tier Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includ ...

. Much of the district is also covered by

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

es, which form a third tier of local government. The council's logo is a

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow 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.

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2024 election. 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:

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2005 have been:

Composition

Following the 2024 election the composition of the council is: The next election is due in May 2026.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes took effect in 2024, the council has comprised 36

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s 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. The district covers the same area as the

Cannock Chase (UK Parliament constituency) Cannock Chase is a constituency in Staffordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Josh Newbury of the Labour Party. Boundaries 1997–2010: The District of Cannock Chase, and the District of South Staffor ...

. 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.

Premises

The council is based at the Civic Centre on Beecroft Road in Cannock. The building was purpose-built for the council between 1978 and 1981.

Demography

According to data from the

2011 United Kingdom census A Census in the United Kingdom, census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Inter ...

, 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 region The West Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level for Statistics, statistical purposes. It covers the western half of the area known tradit ...

al average.

Media

In terms of television, the area is served by

BBC West Midlands BBC Midlands is the BBC English Regions, BBC English Region producing local radio and World Wide Web, web content for the City of Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcest ...

and

ITV Central ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee in the English Midlands. It was created following ...

(West) broadcasting from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. Television signals are received the

Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...

TV transmitter. Radio stations for the area are: *

BBC Radio WM BBC Radio WM is the BBC's local radio station serving the West Midlands. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Mailbox in Birmingham. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 193,000 ...

BBC Radio Stoke BBC Radio Stoke is the BBC's local radio station serving Staffordshire and South Cheshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, Freeview and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent. According to RAJAR, the station has a week ...

can also be received. *

Heart West Midlands Heart West Midlands is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts to the West Midlands. History Heart began broadcasting to the West Midlands on Tuesday 6 September 1994, as 100.7 Heart F ...

* Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands *

Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, formerly Signal 1, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to North Staffordshire and South Cheshire. As of Septemb ...

Smooth West Midlands Smooth West Midlands is an Independent Local Radio station for the Birmingham and the West Midlands. It is owned and operated by Global as part of the Smooth network. History GMG Radio The station launched following GMG Radio's purchase of t ...

Capital Midlands Capital Midlands is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Birmingham, parts of the Black Country and the East Midlands from studios at Brindleyplace in Birmingham City Centre. T ...

Hits Radio Birmingham Hits Radio Birmingham, formerly Free Radio Birmingham, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Birmingham, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Birmingham and the West Mid ...

* Cannock Chase Radio FM, the district's community based station which broadcast from its studios in

. The ''

Express & Star The ''Express & Star'' is a regional evening newspaper in Britain. Founded in 1889, it is based in Wolverhampton, England, and covers the West Midlands county and Staffordshire. Currently edited by Martin Wright, the ''Express & Star'' publis ...

'' is the local newspaper that cover the district.

Towns and parishes

Much of the district is covered by eight

es. The exception is certain parts of Cannock, which are unparished. The parish councils for Hednesford and Rugeley have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". 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. The parish of Hednesford was subsequently created in 2000 from another part of the former Cannock Urban District. The parishes are: * Brereton and Ravenhill *

Bridgtown Bridgtown is a village and civil parish, in the Cannock Chase District of Staffordshire, England. It is situated on the A5 between Cannock and Great Wyrley. There are multiple industrial and retail estates in and around the village, as well ...

* Brindley Heath *

Cannock Wood Cannock Wood is a village and civil parish in the Cannock Chase district of Staffordshire, England. The village is situated around east of Cannock, the same distance south of Rugeley, and north of Burntwood. According to the 2011 Census, t ...

Heath Hayes and Wimblebury Heath Hayes and Wimblebury is a civil parish in the Cannock Chase District of Staffordshire, England. It comprises the once separate villages of Heath Hayes and Wimblebury, which following recent housing development have now become joined. I ...

(town) *

Norton Canes Norton Canes is a village and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies close to the borders of the Lichfield, South Staffordshire and Walsall districts. It is situated from Cannock. At the 2001 census, it ...

(town) Other areas and settlements include: *

Chadsmoor Chadsmoor () is a historic village in the Cannock Chase District in Staffordshire, England, and is situated between the towns of Cannock and Hednesford. History In the 7th century Chad of Mercia, St Chad, the patron Saint of Lichfield Cathe ...

* Church Hill *

Hawks Green Hawks Green (Also known as Hayes Green) is a suburban village and ward in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. Located between Cannock Cannock () is a town in the Cannock Chase district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It had a population ...

* Hazelslade * Littleworth *

Little Wyrley Little Wyrley is a hamlet in the Cannock Chase district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It forms part of Norton Canes. In 1870-72 it had a population of 61 as recorded in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. It borders the v ...

* North Lanes * Prospect Village * Pye Green * Rawnsley *

Slitting Mill Slitting Mill is a small village on the outskirts of Rugeley, Staffordshire. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 265. The village is within Rugeley civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish use ...