Suffolk County Council

Last updated

Suffolk County Council
Arms of Suffolk.svg
Suffolk County Council.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Liz Harsant,
Conservative
since 23 May 2024 [1]
Matthew Hicks,
Conservative
since 24 May 2018
Nicola Beach
since May 2018 [2]
Structure
Seats75 seats
Suffolk County Council 2025.svg
Political groups
Administration (51)
  Conservative (51)
Other parties (23)
  Green (9)
  Labour (6)
  Liberal Democrats (5)
  Independent (2)
  West Suffolk Ind. (1)
  Reform UK (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
 7 May 2021
Next election
 1 May 2025
Meeting place
Endeavour House, home of Suffolk County Council - geograph.org.uk - 1305044.jpg
Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX
Website
www.suffolk.gov.uk

Suffolk County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 75 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.

Contents

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2017. It is based at Endeavour House in Ipswich.

History

Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions that had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the court of quarter sessions. In most counties the quarter sessions were held at a single location, but in Suffolk the custom was long-established of holding the quarter sessions across several days, sitting in different towns. [3] Prior to 1860 the court sat in the four towns of Beccles, Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Woodbridge. In 1860 the Beccles and Woodbridge divisions merged with the Ipswich one to form the eastern division, and the area administered from Bury St Edmunds became known as the western division. [4]

Officially it remained one court of quarter sessions which adjourned after each day of hearings and travelled to a new venue, and the original draft bill in 1888 therefore envisaged that there would be a single Suffolk County Council. As the bill progressed through its parliamentary processes an amendment was proposed by Frederick Hervey, 3rd Marquess of Bristol, who lived at Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds, that the eastern and western divisions of the county should instead become separate administrative counties. The amendment was agreed by 59 votes to 20 in the House of Lords. [5] It was also agreed that the borough of Ipswich was large enough to provide its own county-level functions and so it was made a county borough. Suffolk therefore had three county-level authorities after 1889: West Suffolk County Council, East Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Corporation. [6]

This system continued until 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 abolished the separate county councils for East Suffolk and West Suffolk and downgraded Ipswich to providing district-level services only. In their place, Suffolk County Council was created with responsibility for county-level services across the whole county. Initially based at East Suffolk County Hall in Ipswich, the council relocated to Endeavour House in 2004. [7]

In September 2010, the council announced that it would seek to outsource a number of its services, in an attempt to cut its budget by 30%. [8] Controversy surrounding the then chief executive Andrea Hill, some concerning £122,000 spent on management consultants, featured in the local and national press in 2011; [9] this led to her facing a disciplinary hearing, and subsequently resigning. [10]

Governance

Suffolk County Council provides county-level services. District-level services are provided by the area's five district councils: [11]

With the exception of Ipswich, the rest of the county is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [12]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2017.

The first election to the county council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: [13] [14]

Party in controlYears
Conservative 1974–1993
No overall control 1993–2005
Conservative 2005–2016
No overall control 2016–2017
Conservative 2017–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1984 have been: [15]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Christopher Penn [16] Conservative 198418 May 1993
Chris Mole [17] Labour 18 May 199322 Nov 2001
Jane Hore Labour 18 Dec 200122 May 2003
Bryony Rudkin Labour 22 May 200326 May 2005
Jeremy Pembroke Conservative 26 May 20051 Apr 2011
Mark Bee Conservative 26 May 201121 May 2015
Colin Noble Conservative 21 May 201524 May 2018
Matthew Hicks Conservative 24 May 2018

Composition

Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2024, the composition of the council was: [18]

PartyCouncillors
Conservative 52
Green 9
Labour 6
Liberal Democrats 5
Independent 2
West Suffolk Independents1
Total75

The Greens, Liberal Democrats, West Suffolk Independent and one of the independent councillors sit as a group. [19] The next election is due in 2025.

Premises

West Suffolk House, the council's area office in Bury St Edmunds, shared with West Suffolk Council. West Suffolk House - geograph.org.uk - 1724161.jpg
West Suffolk House, the council's area office in Bury St Edmunds, shared with West Suffolk Council.

The council is based at Endeavour House at 8 Russell Road in Ipswich. It also maintains area offices in Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft. [20] Endeavour House was built in 2003. It was originally commissioned as private offices but was bought by the county council whilst still under construction; the council moved into the building in 2004. [21] Since 2017 the council has shared the building with Babergh District Council and Mid Suffolk District Council. [22]

County Hall, St Helen's Street, Ipswich: Council's headquarters until 2004. Ipswich IP4, Suffolk. - geograph.org.uk - 3489685.jpg
County Hall, St Helen's Street, Ipswich: Council's headquarters until 2004.

Previously the council was based at County Hall on St Helen's Street in Ipswich, the oldest parts of which had been built in 1837 as a jail and courthouse, which had been one of the meeting places of the quarter sessions. [23] The building had become the meeting place of East Suffolk County Council after 1889, and that council had built substantial extensions to the building, notably in 1906 with an office block, new council chamber and clock tower at the corner of St Helen's Street and Bond Street. [24]

Both County Hall and the Shire Hall in Bury St Edmunds had been inherited by Suffolk County Council from the two former county councils when local government was reorganised in 1974; Shire Hall served as an area office until 2009 when the council moved its Bury St Edmunds office to West Suffolk House, a new building shared with St Edmundsbury Borough Council (West Suffolk Council after 2019). [25] [26]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2005 the council has comprised 75 councillors representing 63 electoral divisions, with each division electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years. [27] New division boundaries reducing the number of councillors to 70 have been drawn up to come into effect for the 2025 election. [28]

Electoral divisions

As of 2021, there were 63 divisions of which 51 each returned a single member, a further 12 divisions each being represented by two members. [29] Each councillor is responsible for their own Locality budget which amounted to £8,000 for the 2021/2022 financial year. [30]

DistrictNo.DivisionCouncillor
Babergh District 1 Belstead Brook Christopher Hudson
2 Cosford Robert Lindsay
3 Great Cornard Peter Beer
4 Hadleigh Mick Fraser
5 Melford Richard Kemp
6 Peninsula Simon Harley
7 Samford Georgia Hall
8 Stour Valley James Finch
9 Sudbury Jessie Carter
10 Sudbury East and Waldingfield Philip Faircloth-Mutton
Mid Suffolk District 26 Bosmere Kay Oakes
27 Gipping Valley Chris Chambers
28 Hartismere Jessica Fleming
29 Hoxne & Eye Peter Gould
30 Stowmarket North & Stowupland Keith Welham
31 Stowmarket South Keith Scarff
32 Thedwastre North Andy Mellen
33 Thedwastre South Penny Otton
34 Thredling Matthew Hicks
35 Upper Gipping Andrew Stringer
Borough of Ipswich 16 Bixley Paul West
17 Bridge Rob Bridgeman
18 Chantry Nathan Wilson
Nadia Cenci
19 Gainsborough Liz Harsant
20 Priory Heath Bill Quinton
21 Rushmere Sandy Martin
22 St Helen's Elizabeth Johnson
23 St John's Sarah Adams
24 St Margaret's and Westgate Debbie Richards
Inga Lockington
25 Whitehouse and Whitton Sam Murray
David Goldsmith
East Suffolk District 45 Aldeburgh and Leiston T-J Haworth-Culf
46 Blything Richard Smith
47 Carlford Elaine Bryce
48 Felixstowe Coastal Steve Wiles
Graham Newman
49 Felixstowe North and Trimley Stuart Bird
50 Framlingham Stephen Burroughes
51 Kesgrave and Rushmere St Andrew Stuart Lawson
Debbie McCallum
52 Martlesham Patti Mulcahy
53 Wickham Alexander Nicoll
54 Wilford Andrew Reid
55 Woodbridge Caroline Page
56 Beccles Caroline Topping
Peggy McGregor
57 Bungay Judy Cloke
58 Gunton James Reeder
Ryan Harvey
59 Halesworth Annette Dunning
60 Kessingland and Southwold Michael Ladd
61 Lowestoft South Jenny Ceresa
Jamie Starling
62 Oulton Edward Back
Keith Robinson
63 Pakefield Craig Rivett
Melanie Vigo di Gallidoro
West Suffolk District 11 Brandon Victor Lukaniuk
12 Exning and Newmarket Rachel Hood
13 Mildenhall Lance Stanbury
14 Newmarket and Red Lodge Andy Drummond
15 Row Heath Colin Noble
36 Blackbourn Joanna Spicer
37 Clare Roberta Bennett
38 Eastgate and Moreton Hall Peter Thompson
39 Hardwick Richard Rout
40 Haverhill Cangle Joe Mason
Heike Sowa
41 Haverhill East and Kedington David Roach
42 Thingoe North Beccy Hopfensperger
43 Thingoe South Karen Soons
44 Tower Robert Everitt
David Nettleton

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk</span> County of England

Suffolk is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadleigh, Suffolk</span> Town in Suffolk, England

Hadleigh is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. The town is situated next to the River Brett, between the larger towns of Sudbury and Ipswich. It had a population of 8,253 at the 2011 census. The headquarters of Babergh District Council were located in the town until 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bury St Edmunds</span> Town in Suffolk, England

Bury St Edmunds, commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The town is best known for Bury St Edmunds Abbey and St Edmundsbury Cathedral. Bury is the seat of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich of the Church of England, with the episcopal see at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. In 2011, it had a population of 45,000. The town, originally called Beodericsworth, was built on a grid pattern by Abbot Baldwin around 1080. It is known for brewing and malting and for a British Sugar processing factory, where Silver Spoon sugar is produced. The town is the cultural and retail centre for West Suffolk and tourism is a major part of the economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Suffolk</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babergh District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Babergh District is a local government district in Suffolk, England. In 2021 it had a population of 92,300. The district is primarily a rural area, containing just two towns, Sudbury and Hadleigh, which was the administrative centre until 2017 when the council moved to shared offices with neighbouring Mid Suffolk District Council in Ipswich, outside either district. The district is named after the medieval Babergh Hundred, which covered part of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Suffolk (county)</span> Former county in eastern England

East Suffolk, along with West Suffolk, was created in 1888 as an administrative county of England. The administrative county was based on the eastern quarter sessions division of Suffolk. East Suffolk County Council's headquarters were at East Suffolk County Hall in Ipswich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of St Edmundsbury</span> Former local government district in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Bergholt</span> Village in Suffolk, England

East Bergholt is a village in the Babergh District of Suffolk, England, just north of the Essex border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Suffolk County Council election</span> 2009 UK local government election

Elections to Suffolk County Council were held on 4 June 2009 as part of the 2009 United Kingdom local elections on the same day as the elections to the European Parliament. 75 councillors were elected from 63 electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were the same as those used at the previous election in 2005.

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Ipswich Borough Council is the local authority for Ipswich, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Suffolk, England. It is the second tier of a two-tier system, fulfilling functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning, with Suffolk County Council providing county council services such as transport, education and social services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Suffolk County Council election</span> 2013 UK local government election

Elections to Suffolk County Council took place on 2 May 2013 as part of the 2013 United Kingdom local elections. 75 councillors were elected from 63 electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were the same as those used at the previous election in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Endeavour House</span> County building in Ipswich, Suffolk, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Suffolk County Council election</span> 2017 UK local government election

The 2017 Suffolk County Council election took place on 4 May 2017 as part of the 2017 local elections in the United Kingdom. All 75 councillors were elected from 63 electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each, by first-past-the-post voting, for a four-year term of office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Noble</span> British politician

Colin Lawrence Noble is a British politician of the Conservative Party. He was leader of the Suffolk Conservatives group and Leader of Suffolk County Council from May 2015 to May 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Suffolk District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Suffolk District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

East Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. The largest town is Lowestoft, which contains Ness Point, the easternmost point of the United Kingdom. The second largest town is Felixstowe, which has the country's largest container port. On the district's south-western edge it includes parts of the Ipswich built-up area. The rest of the district is largely rural, containing many towns and villages, including several seaside resorts. Its council is based in the village of Melton. The district was formed in 2019 as a merger of the two previous districts of Suffolk Coastal and Waveney. In 2021 it had a population of 246,058. It is the most populous district in the country not to be a unitary authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Hunt (politician)</span> British politician

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Suffolk County Council election</span> 2021 UK local government election

The 2021 Suffolk County Council election took place on 6 May 2021 as part of the 2021 local elections in the United Kingdom. All 75 councillors were elected from 63 electoral divisions, which return either one or two county councillors each, by first-past-the-post voting, for a four-year term of office.

References

  1. ↑ Geater, Paul (24 May 2024). "Ipswich's Liz Harsant new chair of Suffolk County Council". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "Chief Executive Officer". Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Reports of cases argued and determined in the Queen's Bench Practice Court. 1848. p. 628. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  4. ↑ White, William (1874). History, Gazetteer and Directory of Suffolk. Sheffield. p. 1. Retrieved 2 January 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ↑ "Parliamentary Intelligence: The Local Government Bill in the House of Lords". The Times. London. 7 August 1888. p. 7.
  6. ↑ "Local Government Act 1888", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1888 c. 41, retrieved 2 January 2024
  7. ↑ Noble, Jason (27 December 2018). "New plans revealed for former County Hall in Ipswich". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 25 August 2020. The historic former County Hall offices in St Helen's Street have been unoccupied since Suffolk County Council moved out in 2004 to Endeavour House.
  8. ↑ "Suffolk County Council to outsource most services". BBC News. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  9. ↑ Private Eye
  10. ↑ "Council chief Andrea Hill quits Suffolk Council". BBC News. 6 July 2011.
  11. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  12. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "Suffolk". BBC News Online . 19 April 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  15. ↑ "Council minutes". Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  16. ↑ Geater, Paul (9 October 2012). "Suffolk: Tributes paid to former county council leader Christopher Penn". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "Two parties work together for council". Bury Free Press. Bury St Edmunds. 21 May 1993. p. 7. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  18. ↑ "Suffolk". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  19. ↑ "Councillors by group" (PDF). Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  20. ↑ "Suffolk County Council offices". Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  21. ↑ "Unite and Rule". Building.co.uk. 28 May 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  22. ↑ Geater, Paul (7 August 2017). "Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils set to move to Ipswich in September". East Anglian Daily Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  23. ↑ Historic England. "County Hall Main Entrance Block, St Helen's Street (Grade II) (1207685)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  24. ↑ "Ipswich's former County Hall". Victorian Society. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  25. ↑ "Contact us". Suffolk County Council. Archived from the original on 11 April 2004. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  26. ↑ Bunn, Roderic. "West Suffolk House" (PDF). Usable Buildings. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  27. ↑ "The County of Suffolk (Electoral Changes) Order 2002", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2002/3252, retrieved 3 January 2024
  28. ↑ "The Suffolk (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2022/823, retrieved 3 January 2024
  29. ↑ "Electoral Divisions – Key to Map" (PDF). www.suffolk.gov.uk. Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  30. ↑ "Councillor's Locality Budget". www.suffolk.gov.uk. Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
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