Suffolk’s five district and borough councils are launching a county-wide survey asking people for their views on the future of vital local government services.

The move comes as part of the government’s Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) initiative which would see county, district and borough councils replaced and all their services delivered by one or more new unitary councils covering a specific area in the county. 
 
District and borough councils believe that Suffolk would be best served by more than one unitary council. They have submitted their interim report, which sets out the benefits of a multi-unitary model. In a letter sent earlier this month to all Suffolk councils, the government offered clear encouragement for the districts and boroughs to continue developing their proposals.  
 
With this in mind, they are now seeking to further develop the best possible case for a multiple unitary solution in Suffolk, creating councils that are big enough to deliver, but local enough to care; councils that will be efficient and financially sustainable, delivering genuine value for money. 
 
This is the most dramatic change to local government in 50 years, and the Leaders of the borough and district councils are committed to ensuring that every community is involved in shaping the new councils and their services. 
 
As part of the wider engagement work the district and borough councils are carrying out, residents, businesses, community groups and other organisations can now have their say on what is important to them, in the areas in which they live and work. 

Encouraging as many Suffolk people as possible to take part, the Leaders of the five district and borough councils – Cllr John Ward, leader of Babergh District Council, Cllr Caroline Topping, leader of East Suffolk Council, Cllr Neil MacDonald, leader of Ipswich Borough Council, Cllr Andy Mellen, leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, and Cllr Cliff Waterman, Leader of West Suffolk Council – said:

‘We want to transform public services, so they work for all our citizens and communities, and we want you to help us shape them.  

‘Suffolk County Council has only one plan – to create a single mega-council, which we believe would be out of touch with communities and residents. It would cover a vast geographical area seeking to save as much money as possible, no matter how perilous the impact on local democracy, the quality of services provided or proper accountability where you live – whether it’s Hadleigh, Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, Felixstowe, Lowestoft or Ipswich. 

‘We can’t let that happen and we want to hear what you think, to understand the challenges and opportunities, and to ensure that all of Suffolk is listened to and properly represented in the generational changes which are taking place.
 
‘We are absolutely certain that a multiple unitary model, with each new council delivering all services to different, recognisable parts of Suffolk, is vital to meet the differing needs of our diverse communities.   
‘With this in mind, we are greatly encouraged by the government’s recent feedback which makes it absolutely clear that we can make a case for local unitaries focused on meeting the needs of all our communities, embodying a true sense of place and local identity. It also supports our argument to have greater representation in the Mayoral Strategic Authority to ensure local voices are heard from across Suffolk. 
 
‘Creating more than one unitary council in Suffolk will ensure strong local leadership and democratic representation, better community engagement, neighbourhood empowerment and more responsive councils.  We want more locally targeted, modern and flexible services, to drive better outcomes and value, rather than a basic and unimaginative “one size fits all” option which simply bolts district and borough services on to an old and tired county council system.

‘This is a fantastic opportunity to work with communities, service users and organisations to rewire how services are delivered and drive better outcomes to meet local needs. For example, the needs and challenges for people living in Ipswich are different to those in rural Suffolk. For the first time your council will be able to deliver services tailored to meet local needs when previously it was a one size fits all approach that only worked for the few.

‘It’s particularly important that we can make a strong financial case for change – not only highlighting how we can deliver savings in the short and medium term, but how we can absolutely guarantee the future sustainability of the services people depend on.’

The survey, which closes on 25th July 2025, can be found here.

Further to last month’s works to carry out carriageway repairs along Mount Pleasant, Princess Road and Moyse Avenue, Reydon, we are planning to return to site to carry out remedial works from Tuesday, 13th to Wednesday, 14th May, between 8am and 6pm.

During this time, the road will be closed to ensure the safety of highway users and our operatives. For the duration of the closure, traffic will be diverted via Covert Road, Cox’s Lane and vice versa.

To enable us to carry works out as planned, we ask that local road users please move their vehicles from the area highlighted by ‘no parking’ cones.

As we plan roadworks in advance, we schedule extra days to allow for bad weather or other delays beyond our control. If we need to make major changes to our work dates, we will update the information signs on site and our social media channels accordingly.

A plan showing the diversion route for these works can be downloaded by clicking here. When we close the road and put a diversion in place, the route needs to be accessible to vehicles of all shapes and sizes. We make our diversions as clear as possible by placing appropriate signing along the route. The latest updates on our works can be found on the One.Network website.

There may be times that essential emergency works are required to take place on the highway network without advanced notice – you can follow Suffolk Highways on Facebook for the latest emergency roadwork updates.

If you have any queries on the above, please contact us on 0345 606 6171.

Suffolk Highways

www.suffolk.gov.uk/highways

We are planning to carry out carriageway repairs along Mount Pleasant, Princess Road and Moyse Avenue, Reydon.

The works are programmed to take place between 8am and 6pm on Wednesday, 9th April, Thursday, 10th April and Friday, 11th April. During this time, the road will be closed to ensure the safety of highway users and our operatives.

For the duration of the closure, traffic will be diverted via Covert Road, Coxes Lane and vice versa.

To enable us to carry works out as planned, we ask that local road users please move their vehicles from the area highlighted by ‘no parking’ cones.

As we plan roadworks in advance, we schedule extra days to allow for bad weather or other delays beyond our control. If we need to make major changes to our work dates, we will update the information signs on site and our social media channels accordingly.

A plan showing the diversion route for these works can be downloaded by clicking here. When we close the road and put a diversion in place, the route needs to be accessible to vehicles of all shapes and sizes. We make our diversions as clear as possible by placing appropriate signing along the route. The latest updates on our works can be found on the One.Network website.

There may be times that essential emergency works are required to take place on the highway network without advanced notice – you can follow Suffolk Highways on Facebook for the latest emergency roadwork updates.

If you have any queries on the above, please contact us on 0345 606 6171.

Suffolk Highways

www.suffolk.gov.uk/highways

Supporting our neighbours and protecting the Heritage Coast

The most recent LionLink newsletter out this week indicates that Walberswick is the preferred landfall site, and that Southwold and Reydon should not be affected by the various new energy infrastructure projects (for the time being at least).

Despite this, the planned public meeting on this Friday will still proceed as Reydon Parish Council believes that it still has a responsibility to work with neighbouring communities to help to protect them from imminent harm, and to protect the Suffolk Heritage Coast, National Landscape and East Suffolk community interest; its concerns as a parish council extend beyond its parish boundaries.

The public meeting will be in Reydon Village Hall on Friday, 21st February at 6.30 pm.

Come and find out more. Ask your questions. Have your say. All welcome.

The agenda can be downloaded here.

Are you a baker, an artist, a photographer, a crafter, a sewer, a knitter, a gardener or a flower arranger? Then why not enter the Reydon Show?

The show celebrates your talents big and small plus prize certificates and various trophies to be won. The show takes place on the first Saturday of August each year, so save the date for 2025 – Saturday, 2nd August. Entries have to be in on the Friday night or the Saturday morning and the exhibition opens at 2pm.

We also have a range of children’s categories open to kids under 12, so if your child is a keen Lego builder, gardener or arts and crafter they can enter too – and kids enter free!

So, plan your preserves, ready your radishes and corral your carnations ready for August. Programme of categories will be available at Bridgefoot Stores, Reydon nearer the date.

Photographic categories this year are:

• Seed Heads.
• A Black-and-White Photo (any subject).
• Rainy Day.
• Animals at Work.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Tim Passmore is seeking the views on his new Police and Crime Plan.

The plan sets the direction of policing in Suffolk for 2025–29.  Please go to SUFFOLK POLICE & CRIME PLAN 2025/29 to access the survey which will close at 9am on Monday, 20th January 2025.

The PCC is also seeking your thoughts on his proposal for the policing budget and the amount of council tax you pay towards policing in the next financial year. He is proposing an increase of 5.1% which is the equivalent of £14 a year for a Band D property. Please go to the survey to make your views known: Council Tax Precept Survey 2025–26.  This survey closes at 9am on Thursday, 30th January.