New Chair and Vice-Chair elected for West Suffolk Council

20 May 2025

Cllr Phil Wittam has been elected the new chair of West Suffolk Council at its Annual Meeting held on Tuesday, 13 May. 

He follows outgoing Chair Cllr Pat Hanlon, who attended 87 events and raised £1,662 for REACH Community Projects and £1,662 for the Accessible Learning Foundation – his chosen charities for the year. 

Henry Wilson, chief executive of REACH Community Projects received the cheque on behalf of the Haverhill based charity from Cllr Hanlon ahead of Tuesday’s council meeting.

Cllr Wittam, was vice-chair, last year and will be supporting Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS) and Gatehouse, an independent charity that works with the vulnerable throughout East Anglia, including West Suffolk, as his chosen charities. 

Cllr Peter Armitage was elected as this year’s vice-chair.

Cllr Wittam said: “I am honoured to be elected the Chair of West Suffolk Council which acts as a vital civic link to our communities. I would like to thank Cllr Hanlon for his year of service as an exceptional Chair who has been constantly busy representing the Council and our communities. He is a hard act to follow, but I look forward to my year as Chair, working with councillors, our communities and raising money for my chosen charities.”

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