- Call for Suffolk’s five district and borough councils to come clean over their reorganisation proposals
- Details needed so public can make informed decisions
- Delay risks failure to properly assess proposals before sharing with Government
A key piece of information, which is currently missing, is the proposed boundaries of the three council areas they wish to create – leaving communities in the dark over what this could mean for them. It also prevents necessary scrutiny of the proposals before they are submitted to the Government. In contrast Suffolk County Council announced its proposal for single council covering the whole of Suffolk in March 2025 – and is now engaging with residents and stakeholders.
The call comes as West Suffolk Council has published a motion which supports a three council model, but stops well short of giving further details to residents.
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for devolution, local government reorganisation and NSIPs, said:
"There is absolutely no detail of any value in this announcement from West Suffolk Council. There’s not even a suggestion of where they believe the boundaries of the new councils should be.
“This detail is important not only for the public, who rightly want to know where their town or village is within the districts’ proposals, but also for us as we model the service implications for some of Suffolk’s most vulnerable residents if the government chooses to break Suffolk up. Are they suggesting Felixstowe is in with east Suffolk or Ipswich? Where is Hadleigh, Woodbridge or the Shotley peninsula? We just don’t know, and by not coming clean they’re keeping the public in the dark and putting service users at potential risk.
“Either the district and borough councils don’t know where their new councils would be, can’t agree where they should be, or do know but are too scared to share the details with the public because they know it will cause outcry.
“We are certain that the idea that three councils will save taxpayers money and not have to cut services to balance the books is a fairytale. It is abundantly clear that splitting Suffolk in three will cost money, not save it – in fact taxpayers will be worse off than under the current system.
"The district and borough councils’ cobbled-together patchwork proposal means three councils, three sets of salaries and the same old story for Suffolk. It's simply the wrong way to go and I suspect they know it but are too dogmatic to admit it.
"Having just one new council for Suffolk, delivering all local and countywide services, will save the most money to reinvest in services or keep council tax as low as possible. Residents and local organisations are already helping to ensure local voices and understanding will be central to a One Suffolk approach.
"To suggest that three councils could achieve all of this is simply make believe."
Residents are being encouraged to have their say on the future of councils and public services in Suffolk by completing Suffolk County Council’s survey.
The survey only takes about 10 minutes to complete, and can be done online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/devolution, by emailing devolution@suffolk.gov.uk or by calling 0345 603 1842 where a member of Suffolk County Council’s customer services team can help residents to complete the survey. People can also visit any of Suffolk’s 45 libraries to complete the survey online or in hard copy.
