Thurston
Suffolk's district and borough councils have published their detailed proposal for the future of local government in the county.
They have been working together on a case for three new unitary councils in Suffolk as part of their joint response to Local Government Reorganisation. It has been developed through comprehensive local engagement.
These would cover the areas of Central and Eastern Suffolk, Western Suffolk, and Ipswich and Southern Suffolk. These are only working names at this stage.
You can now read their full proposal here.
Babergh District Council meets on September 23 and Mid Suffolk District Council on September 25 to discuss the proposal.
Subject to council decisions, all submissions will then go to Government on September 26. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will then carry out a further consultation and make a final decision next year.
Elections for the new shadow unitary authority or authorities are then expected to take place in May 2027, ahead of the new structure going live in April 2028.
In the meantime, the new regional Mayor for Norfolk and Suffolk is due to be elected in May 2026.
There are now two websites:
https://threecouncilsforsuffolk.org/ and
https://onesuffolkcouncil.co.uk/one-suffolk-one-council-one-stronger-future/
Final detailed business cases will be out soon and debated/hopefully approved by each district, borough and county council in September. Please do either attend or watch the live stream of the relevant meetings.
Suffolk County Council - final business case approval full council debate - Tuesday 16 September. Use this link to their committee page for more details on how to watch.
East Suffolk Council plan to take a report to full council on 24 September. Use this link to their committee page for more details on how to watch.
West Suffolk Council - Use this link to their council meetings live stream page.
Babergh / Mid Suffolk - here is a link to their democratic services page with details of up and coming meetings for information.
Ipswich Borough Council - the decision about submitting proposals to government will be taken on the evening of 24th September at Ipswich Town Hall. There will be a debate which starts at 6 pm and then a formal decision made by the Executive which will meet after Council finishes. The meeting is open to the public and audio recordings taken and published on their website.
The government has published the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, along with some guidance notes.
In December 2024, the government published the English Devolution White Paper. This sets out plans to move power out of Westminster and back to local communities, ensuring that every part of England is covered by devolution. The local council leaders from Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council have since written to government expressing their interest in taking forward devolution within their area through the establishment of a Mayoral Combined County Authority, with the first election for a Mayor taking place in May 2026. Before taking a decision on whether to proceed with the making of the necessary legislation, the government is seeking views from interested parties, including those who live and work in the area.
Details of the consultation can be found here
