Lichfield District Council has called a special meeting on 4 November to appoint an interim chief executive. Councillors pick a name in private the day before.

Lichfield District Council will appoint an interim chief executive at a special meeting of the full council on Wednesday 4 November. The appointment is the only real business on the agenda.

The summons went to all district councillors on 27 October. It was signed by Simon Fletcher, the council’s chief executive since 2021 (Council agenda, 4 November 2026).

How the choice is being made

The council’s Appointments Committee meets first, at 5pm on Tuesday 3 November. Its agenda has one substantive item: “Appointment of Interim-Chief Executive & Head of Paid Service”. The press and public will be excluded for it. The committee’s report, which runs to 14 pages, is marked “Restricted” under the rules that protect information about individuals (Appointments Committee agenda, 3 November 2026).

The six committee members are:

  • Councillor Doug Pullen, leader of the council
  • Councillor A Smith
  • Councillor Cox
  • Councillor Holland
  • Councillor Silvester-Hall
  • Councillor Bragger

The committee’s recommendation then goes to the full council at 6pm the next day, in the Council Chamber at District Council House on Frog Lane. The agenda says the committee’s report will “follow” after its meeting.

The council has not published any statement about the change on its website. Its leadership team page still listed Mr Fletcher as chief executive on 29 October.

What the job covers

The chief executive is the council’s most senior officer and its legally required “head of paid service”, in charge of its staff. According to the council’s own description of the role, the post holder:

  • leads the organisation and works with the leader and cabinet
  • heads the leadership team, which also includes a chief operating officer, two directors and a governance manager
  • oversees the planning service and major projects, including regeneration
  • acts as managing director of Lichfield West Midlands Traded Service Ltd, the council’s trading company

Mr Fletcher was appointed in May 2021. He had worked for Agilisys Ltd, and before that as a strategic director at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and as deputy chief executive of the Government of the Falkland Islands (council announcement, May 2021).

Why it matters now

The appointment comes at a busy time for the council. It is consulting on its 2027/28 budget until 18 November. Its future is also uncertain: the government paused the plan to merge it into a new South and Mid Staffordshire council in September (our report). And on 28 October the Budget said a deal for an elected mayor covering Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire is in its “final stages”.

What it means for you

  • Services carry on as normal. Nothing on either agenda changes bin collections, planning or any other service.
  • You can watch the decision. The full council meeting on 4 November at 6pm is public. The 3 November committee session is not.
  • We will report who is appointed, and on what terms, after the meeting.

Sources