Who wants a mega council? Not me, as I am leading on Suffolk to the power of three, where we create three councils for the county.
That’s three strong local voices championing their communities, three local areas playing to their natural economic strengths and three local strategies for investment where it’s needed.
Have a look at our website https://threecouncilsforsuffolk.org/
Suffolk County Council (SCC) has approved a budget of £1.9 million to work on devolution and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). The budget has been made available from a council-wide underspend in 2024/25.
Isn’t there anything better they could spend that money on, rather than on Alice in Wonderland leaflets? For those of you who moan about potholes, the Highways Industry says that an average pothole repair costs £72.37 in the UK, which means the money could fill 26,253 potholes!
Mind you, the Labour government have given SCC an extra £11.4 million this financial year for pothole repairs, which should fill157,523 extra potholes. Have you noticed? Hats off to government for recognising a big issue on the doorstep and doing something about it.
As part of LGR, SCC promise a “revitalised highways service that says ‘yes’ - acting swiftly” but what is stopping them doing that right now? What has been holding them back for the last two decades? A recent Traffic Regulation Order for Ipswich Town Centre has taken nearly four years to come into effect. Every councillor is aware of the glacial speed of highway work.
SCC’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit stood at £44m at the end of March 2025 and is expected to grow every year with a forecast DSG deficit of £359m by 2028. This is something that was allowed by the previous Tory Government, and it drives a coach and horses through any Tory pretence of prudent financial governance. A huge financial headache for their successors.
The number of data breaches made by the county council within Educational, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) have been labelled as "shocking" and "concerning" by Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, a body which represents parents and carers in Suffolk.
They hope for change after it was revealed there had been a rise in breaches within the plans. SCC say "any data breach is one too many". What do they think of 21 breaches in 2023 and 17 in 2024?
I didn’t think I would ever agree with Tom Hunt, the former Tory MP for Ipswich, though I believe he hits the nail on the head with his quote from 2024:
“The review this week into SEND provision in Suffolk made sobering reading. The inspection carried out by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission didn’t pull any punches and was unequivocal in concluding that in Suffolk we have failed to decisively move forward from the failures of the past and vast numbers of people with complex needs and their families are being badly let down.
It is very depressing that after years of failure and multiples reviews and inspections from a variety of different organisations here we are again.
The failings are deep and extensive covering poor communications, major delays, significant issues with ECH plans and major issues around diagnosis.”
Are you comfortable allowing the current SCC to run the entirety of local government in Suffolk? They seem to struggle with roads, potholes, schools, data security and special education needs. Could they run a whelk stall?
The three-council model will be simpler for residents, be more accountable and will mean better and quicker decision making with a single council where you live. That’s the beauty of Suffolk to the power of three.
This column has been written by Neil MacDonald, leader of Ipswich Borough Council.
Share