Cannock Chase is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is named after and covers a large part of Cannock Chase, a designated National Landscape. The council is based in the town of Cannock. The district also contains the towns of Hednesford and Rugeley, as well as a number of villages and surrounding rural areas.
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:
- 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.
Abolition
Under current local government reorganisation plans, all district councils in Staffordshire, as well as the county council, will be abolished in 2028, with the district forming part of a new South and Mid Staffordshire unitary authority. Elections to the new council will take place in May 2027, and it will initially act as a shadow authority.
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.
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.
Political control
The council has been under no overall control since the 2026 election. Reform UK formed the largest party after that election and formed a minority administration.
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:
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–1982 | |
| No overall control | 1982–1987 | |
| Labour | 1987–2003 | |
| No overall control | 2003–2012 | |
| Labour | 2012–2019 | |
| No overall control | 2019–2021 | |
| Conservative | 2021–2023 | |
| No overall control | 2023–2024 | |
| Labour | 2024–2026 | |
| No overall control | 2026–present | |
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 1991 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Adamson | Labour | May 1991 | ||
| Gordon Alcott | Labour | May 1991 | May 1994 | |
| Gwilym Roberts | Labour | May 1994 | May 1999 | |
| Mike Holder | Labour | May 1999 | May 2003 | |
| Reg Cooper | Conservative | May 2003 | 2005 | |
| Neil Stanley | Liberal Democrats | 2005 | May 2011 | |
| George Adamson | Labour | 2011 | May 2021 | |
| Olivia Lyons | Conservative | 19 May 2021 | May 2023 | |
| Tony Johnson | Labour | 24 May 2023 | 24 Sep 2025 | |
| Steve Thornley | Labour | 24 Sep 2025 | May 2026 | |
| Paul Jones | Reform | 20 May 2026 | ||
Composition
Following the 2026 election, and subsequent changes up to July 2026, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Reform | 13 | |
| Labour | 11 | |
| Conservative | 8 | |
| Green | 3 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 36 | |
Elections
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.
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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
The Express & Star is the local newspaper that cover the district.
Towns and parishes
Much of the district is covered by eight civil parishes. 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:
Other areas and settlements include:
