The government has announced its decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Suffolk in 2028, opting for three unitary authorities – despite clear evidence that this is not in the interest of Suffolk.

Given the choice to do the right thing or the wrong thing I still remain amazed how this government continually chooses the wrong thing.

Why is it the wrong choice? We are all paying high council tax. There was a chance to save many millions of pounds by moving to a single unitary authority. In simple terms there would have only been a need for one chief exec, one director of highways, one director of HR, one director of planning and so on. Now there will be three of each. You get my point.

But it is much worse than that. The very big services delivered by councils all sit at the County Council across the whole of the county. So we will move to three highways depts but currently we only have one contract with one supplier to fix our roads. How will that all be unpicked? And so it will go on, waste disposal, children’s services, adult social care etc.

Splitting up key county-wide services that vulnerable residents rely on, such as adult social care and children’s services, is an enormous risk. Not only will it put those most in need at risk, Government opting for three new councils means Suffolk will be £145 million worse off in the first 5 years and £13 million worse off every year thereafter.

This is a major milestone in the future of local government in the county and reshapes how councils are structured and how services are delivered across the county. This is a wasted opportunity, one we will all pay for.

Each of the three new unitary councils will cover their own new geographical area: West Suffolk, East Suffolk, and South Suffolk and Ipswich.

We’ve been sold the fairytale that smaller councils must be more local, however three new councils will mean three sets of senior staff, three sets of back-office services and three times the bureaucracy.

The creation of three unitary authorities for Suffolk will mean the abolition of all Suffolk’s councils:

• Suffolk County Council
• East Suffolk Council
• West Suffolk Council
• Babergh and Mid Suffolk Councils
• Ipswich Borough Council

While detailed boundaries are still being finalised, the creation of three unitary councils, West Suffolk, East Suffolk, and South Suffolk and Ipswich, means that from May 2028 the new councils will replace the following:

• West Suffolk: West Suffolk Council, as well as parts of Babergh and Mid Suffolk Council
• East Suffolk: East Suffolk Council, as well as parts of Mid Suffolk Council
• South Suffolk and Ipswich: Ipswich Borough Council as well as parts of Babergh Council, and East Suffolk Council

Elections for the new shadow authorities will take place in May 2027, with the new councils formally taking over responsibilities from May 2028. This transition period will enable detailed work for reorganisation to take place, and services will be delivered as usual throughout the process.

Additionally, each new authority would be responsible for the delivery of the services previously undertaken by the County Council in their specific area. The new councils would have responsibility for delivering services including waste collection, planning, adult social care, children’s services, highways and more.