Suffolk Coastal’s Leader has reacted angrily to today’s (Monday)
announcement by the Boundary Committee of England (BCE) for the
proposed reorganisation of Suffolk, describing the process to date
as a farce.
After a whirlwind four months of looking at how local councils
in Suffolk could be reorganised, the BCE has proposed merging
Ipswich with Felixstowe and Kesgrave, and leaving the rest of the
county minus Lowestoft run by one giant council trying to serve
400,000 people.
“This is a farcical situation whereby the BCE have ignored the
solutions offered to them and are instead looking to impose
something which has no understanding of the communities of
Suffolk,” said Cllr Ray Herring, Leader of Suffolk Coastal.
“In a very short time period, a range of interesting proposals
for the future were offered, yet the BCE have come up with a
solution for Ipswich based on a couple of maverick proposals and
paired it with an option that nobody requested, with an alternative
that again nobody wanted.
“This was a golden opportunity to provide better, more efficient
services that engaged with and served local communities, but it has
been squandered with a carve-up that has butchered our county and
our districts. One option is unworkable while we have been given an
alternative which is unthinkable. I note that the BCE’s motto is
that ‘democracy counts’. Well it has not lived up to that claim so
far but I can only hope for all our sakes that it will now listen
to the voice of our communities,” added Cllr Herring.
The BCE is now requesting that responses be made on the
proposals by September 26 by filling in an online form, or in
writing. The BCE said it reached its draft proposals based on five
criteria – affordability, value for money services, neighbourhood
empowerment and engagement, broad cross section of support, and
strategic leadership.
“Putting aside the annexation of Felixstowe, Kesgrave and 19 of
our parishes for a moment, I find it impossible to fathom how the
rest of Suffolk Coastal can best be served by becoming part of a
massive council with 400,000 people.
“Looking at the criteria, I cannot see how creating one
geographically massive new council will be locally accountable,
while to date there has been absolutely no support for such a
hare-brained idea.
“Our residents are used to receiving good, value for money
services, and I honestly cannot see how creating one of the
country’s biggest councils will continue to deliver that success,”
added Cllr Herring.
Four of the eight councils in Suffolk, including Suffolk
Coastal, had backed proposals for three unitaries to be created,
offering locally accountable, strategically powerful new councils,
in East, West and Ipswich, while two others had backed at least an
East/West split to take account of the differing challenges and
needs of the communities of Suffolk.
“At the root of this review was the Government’s desire to
achieve unitary status for Ipswich, but they have done it in a way
that ignores logic and community ties. Our proposal would have seen
Felixstowe in the same council as Lowestoft which made far more
sense as they both face similar coastal defence and regeneration
challenges. Now we have the ridiculous prospect of three different
councils managing our county’s coastal defences.
“The communities that make up Felixstowe now face the threat of
becoming part of an aspiring city that needs to expand to achieve
its goals, and with urban and social issues that are not those of a
resort town.
“I am equally concerned about our communities between Felixstowe
and Ipswich who have made it crystal clear that they do not want to
be seen as some kind of Outer Ipswich. Their voice has been ignored
so far, and what chance would they have to protect their largely
rural lifestyles in a new unitary that will inevitably have urban
regeneration as its biggest goal?
“The next part of the process is for the public and interested
parties to have their say on the proposed options, and I would
strongly urge everyone to put forward their views. I can only hope
that they will pay more attention to our communities than they have
to their representatives,” added Cllr Herring.
The proposed unitary Ipswich, would include Felixstowe and
Kesgrave and these other parishes of Suffolk Coastal Brightwell,
Martlesham, Bucklesham, Nacton, Falkenham, Newbourne, Playford,
Foxhall, Purdis Farm, Great Bealings, Rushmere St Andrew, Hemley,
Stratton Hall, Trimley St Martin, Kirton, Trimley St Mary,
Levington, Waldringfield, and Little Bealings, as well as 19
parishes of Babergh, and seven in Mid Suffolk.
Responses to the draft proposals can be made by filling in an
online form at
www.boundarycommittee.org.uk
or email
reviews@boundarycommittee.org.uk
or in writing to Review Manager (Norfolk and Suffolk Review), The
Boundary Committee for England, Trevelyan House, Great Peter
Street, London SW1P 2HW. The period for responses closes on
September
26.