A Devolution Deal for Suffolk

Devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. It means that decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect. Typically this involves the creation of directly elected mayors with specific responsibilities for strategic policy areas like transport infrastructure, economic development, health improvement and blue light services. 

Local government reorganisation is a process whereby the make up of councils in an area is changed to make it work better for local people. Typically this involves reducing how many tiers or layers of councils there are in any given area and setting up single (known as ‘unitary’) councils which deliver all local public services. 

The government has published a policy paper which said:

“The government sees devolution as a new way of governing, rooted in the principle that people who have a stake in a place should be the ones shaping it. It will be crucial to delivering our commitment to bring growth and opportunity to communities across the country. This is the first step on delivering on our promise to move power out of Westminster and putting power where it belongs – into the hands of local people.

“Every place has something to benefit from devolution, whether it is more regular bus services, more affordable housing, or the simple fact that local people will have a local champion with regional influence. Mayors, regardless of political stripe, have a proven track record of delivering growth.”

The deputy prime minister has also said in the House of Commons:

“The government is also focused on fixing the foundations of local government, with simpler and more effective structures and a reduction in unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. Through a national programme of ambitious local government reform, the government will cut waste and improve accountability, ensuring taxpayers get value for money from their services.”

The first step in the devolution process will be the government launching a consultation across Suffolk and Norfolk to enable local residents, businesses and partners to have their say on the government’s approach to devolution and its proposed benefits. It is expected that government will launch the consultation very soon, which will run through February and March 2025.

Alongside this, councils in Suffolk will prepare business cases for reorganisation, which will be submitted to government 26 September. The government will then consult publicly before making a final decision and announcing the implementation timetable.

The Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) is a fast-track programme towards devolution and local government reorganisation. The government established it to see areas move quickly through the process.

Many areas expressed interest in being included on the DPP. The Deputy Prime Minister announced that six were successful. These are:

• Cumbria (Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council);
• Cheshire and Warrington (Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Warrington Borough Council);
• Greater Essex (Essex County Council, Thurrock Council, Southend-on-Sea City Council);
• Hampshire and Solent (Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Isle of Wight Council, Southampton City Council);
• Norfolk and Suffolk (Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council);
• Sussex and Brighton (East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council).

Being part of the DPP means that Suffolk will see inaugural elections for a mayor (covering Suffolk and Norfolk) in May 2026 and local government reorganisation a year or so after that.

The proposals are in two parts. The first is devolution, where a mayor for Norfolk and Suffolk would be directly elected in May 2026 and have powers and funding given to them by government to improve lives in the two counties. They would head up what is called a Mayoral Combined County Authority. They would only be responsible for strategic policy areas like transport infrastructure, economic development, health improvement and blue light services – along with devolved government funding to deliver positive change. This would be separate from any unitary council(s) and the mayor would not be in charge of delivering public services that are the responsibility of local authorities – like waste collection, repairing potholes and care services.

The second change is the complete reorganisation of Suffolk’s 50-year-old two-tier council structure into a more streamlined system with one, two or maybe even three unitary councils which deliver all public services in their defined areas. 

In a nutshell, the system would be simpler, cheaper and quicker. One council would provide the services in your area that are currently provided by a county and a district/borough council. Fewer councils would be less confusing for residents to access and work with, would cost less to run. Local councillors would be accountable for all council services in your area making decision-making easier to understand. This all improves efficiency which frees up time and money to plough back into delivering and improving public services.

A two-tier structure in local government means two levels of administration: county councils, and district or borough councils. County councils are responsible for services that cover the whole county, like education, adult social care, and waste disposal. District or borough councils manage more localised services like housing, planning applications, and waste collection. It can be confusing for residents and businesses to understand who does what.

A unitary authority operates under a single-tier system. This means that one council is responsible for delivering all services in an area. This eliminates the division of responsibilities seen in a two-tier structure, streamlining the delivery of services. Many corporate functions – such as finance, human resources, IT and customer services – can also be combined to improve efficiency and remove duplication. Councillors in a unitary authority represent all council services rather than being split between county and district councillors. This makes contacting elected representatives easier, helping to improve representation of local communities.

Councils in Suffolk support devolution and local government reorganisation in principle. All Suffolk councils have been invited by the Minister for Local Government to submit business case proposals for consideration by the government. 

All six of Suffolk’s county, district and borough councils will cease to exist, and be replaced by one or more unitary authorities. These brand new authorities will take over all local government functions in the area they cover.

This means that, in the area you live, you will only have one council to deal with, rather than two. For areas with town and parish councils, these will continue in their existing form and are not included in the unitary process.

Only the government can pass the necessary legislation to postpone elections. The local government minister wrote to all of Suffolk’s council leaders, stating:

“As your area has been successful in joining the Devolution Priority Programme, we will be working with you toward an election for the Mayor of the Strategic Authority in May 2026. To help manage these demands, I have decided to make legislation to postpone the local elections in your area from May 2025 to May 2026. My department will work with your area to take forward both devolution and reorganisation to the most ambitious timeline possible.”

This follows longstanding precedent in areas that have transitioned from two-tier to unitary local government where elections have been postponed to facilitate that transition. For example, this happened in North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Somerset.

The structural changes arising from LGR will change county, district and borough councils – however, they will not impact town and parish councils.

Town and parish councils will be important stakeholders, particularly as a voice for local communities. Although government will lead on consultation for the devolution and LGR processes, there will be engagement with town and parish councils to help develop local LGR proposals.

The government has launched a consultation on the potential benefits of devolution in Suffolk and Norfolk. This will run for eight weeks and councils in Suffolk will help to promote it. Further details on the consultation and how to respond are available at the top of this page.

At the same time, the county, districts and borough councils in Suffolk will begin preparing proposals for LGR that will also include local engagement.

Outline business cases must be submitted by 21 March 2025.

Known key dates

16 Dec 2024: Government make invitation to apply to be on the DPP

9 Jan 2025: Suffolk County Council agrees to apply to be on the DPP

5 Feb 2025: Government announces areas on the DPP

TBC: Government launches devolution consultation

21 Mar 2025: Outline business cases to be submitted to government

26 Sep 2025: Final business cases to be submitted to government

1 May 2026: Election of mayor of Norfolk and Suffolk