The Boundary Committee for England (BCE) is currently carrying
out a Local Government Review of Suffolk which is meant to
recommend whether one or more unitary councils should be set up to
take over from the existing two tiers that include district/borough
councils and the county council.
On 7 July the BCE
announced its draft proposals - two new
unitary councils, one covering Ipswich, Felixstowe, Kesgrave and 19
other parishes in Suffolk Coastal, and one council covering the
rest of Suffolk, minus Lowestoft which would become part of a new
Norfolk council. The BCE asked for views on its draft proposals by
26 September.
Suffolk Coastal’s preferred unitary
option is three councils - East Suffolk, which would include
Felixstowe, Kesgrave and Lowestoft; West Suffolk; and
Ipswich.
Follow the links to view the leaflet
'Make Suffolk Three' (new window PDF
152KB) explaining Suffolk Coastal's preferred unitary option
of three councils and the
Council's submission to the BCE in response to
the consultation.
Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF files.
Have your say on the future shape of Suffolk
A number of the Suffolk Chief Finance Officers responsible for
'signing off' the business cases to the BCE have expressed a range
of reservations about the affordability process. These are outlined
in the letter below sent to all town and parish councils in the
district by Councillor Ray Herring, Leader of the Council.
Town and parish councils are urged to fully familiarise
themselves with the financial risks and reservations expressed by
accessing the business cases and affordability workbooks for
the BCE's draft unitary options on the BCE, North Haven and Suffolk
County Council websites:
The BCE asked for views on its draft proposals by 26
September. Because of concerns about the lack of time to
respond the BCE has agreed to receive representations after the
formal closing date for consultation.
Please make your comments as soon as possible as the BCE is
working towards a deadline of 31 December to
present their recommendation for the future of local government in
Suffolk to the Secretary of State. Follow this link to
see the full Review timetable.
To make your comments you can:
For further information about Suffolk Coastal’s approach to the
Review process please contact the Local Government Review Project
Team at:
Suffolk Coastal District Council,
Council Offices,
Melton Hill,
Woodbridge,
Suffolk IP12 1AU.
Telephone: 01394 444435.
Email:
LGR@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.