‘A huge opportunity to do things differently’ – last chance to have your say on council changes

05/01/26

There is just one week left for residents, businesses and local organisations to have their say on the future of how council services are delivered locally in Suffolk.

District and borough council leaders have today urged people to not miss their chance to respond to the Government’s statutory consultation into the future of local government in Suffolk and Norfolk, which closes on 11 January.

The consultation seeks views on the two proposals for unitary councils in Suffolk.

The district and borough councils’ proposal is to replace the current six councils with three new unitary councils in the west, east and south of the county, each providing ‘all council services for where you live’.

This “Suffolk to the Power of Three” model is based on public feedback and designed to be big enough to deliver, local enough to care, ensuring strong local leadership, tailored services, and financial sustainability – together with the ability to prioritise funding and focus on the communities and businesses in their distinct areas.

There is also an alternative proposal from Suffolk County Council for a single council covering the whole of Suffolk.

In a joint statement, the Suffolk district and borough council leaders said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to improve public services in Suffolk - to do things differently, to provide the change, hope and leadership that people want.

“By moving to three strong, locally focused councils, we can deliver better services, make decisions closer to the communities they affect, and ensure every pound is spent wisely. There is just one week for people to respond to this consultation – please do so, because your voice matters in shaping Suffolk’s future.”

Three councils mean three strong voices for Suffolk; faster decisions tailored to the needs of towns and villages; local, accountable, and responsive to their communities – Suffolk to the Power of Three.

It also means council wards will be the right size to give residents better access to local councillors and decision-making. Three strong voices championing their communities locally and together regionally and nationally.

Three unitary councils would be close to and understand their communities playing to their natural economic strengths, focused on supporting business growth and innovation to create real opportunities and generating targeted investment where it’s needed.

The district and borough councils, alongside finance specialists KPMG, have analysed the budgets for all six Suffolk councils alongside national evidence and the costs of change. The three-council proposal delivers significant savings without compromising service quality. Savings of £106 million over the first five years, achieved through efficiencies and harmonised services. From year six there is an annual saving of £34 million, from which £20 million a year is reinvested in services.

The Three Councils for Suffolk proposal, with analysis from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), shows that an additional £67.5m could also be unlocked each year through localising Adult and Children’s services – improving care for vulnerable children and adults driving better value and outcomes by focusing on prevention and early help.

The suggestion also follows on what other public services are already delivering in Suffolk in terms of local teams. It also gives the flexibility to have countywide services such as safeguarding.

Visit the official consultation portal to submit your feedback.