New councils will put the needs of local people first

08 Jul 2025

The creation of three new unitary authorities in Suffolk designed to put the needs of local people first, improve access to services and drive better outcomes is set to be debated.

A motion will be put to West Suffolk Council at its meeting on 15 July proposing the authority continues to work, in partnership with other district and borough councils in Suffolk, to develop a final proposal for three locally-focused, sustainable unitary councils for the county.

The motion highlights that the three unitary solution best meets the clear view of the public that any new council must be local.

Suffolk’s district and borough councils have already carried out engagement with communities and partners, including an online survey which is still running and has received more than 1,700 responses to date. In the survey, the most important attribute for future local government in Suffolk is: “Being Local - Ensuring decisions that affect you, and where you live, are made close to you - by councillors and a council that understands your needs and represents your area”. This feedback is consistent across each district and borough in the County.

The motion also addresses the latest government guidance that councils must only put forward one proposal in September – in March, West Suffolk Council’s interim preference had been to form either two or three unitaries, instead of one mega council.

The move follows the Government’s call for Local Government Reorganisation which will disband all county, district and borough councils and create unitary authorities to deliver their services. Three new unitaries would be large enough to deliver but local enough to care – working with local organisations and residents to rewire local services, and building on successful examples of similar-sized unitary councils in the UK.

Three new councils would also build on the work of Suffolk’s district and borough councils which have already achieved £330 million in savings in the last 10 years, through transformation, driving value for money and income generation.

Three unitary authorities will better meet the differing needs of the various areas of Suffolk which could not be met as well or focused on by a ‘one size fits all’ approach of a single unitary authority.

It also means local councillors are closer to their communities, will have a better understanding of their needs and be able to focus on local issues rather than trying to cover a larger area.

Cllr Cliff Waterman, Leader of West Suffolk Council, said: “This is a once in a generation opportunity to ensure local government stays local and delivers for the communities and businesses it serves.

“We have asked people what their top priority is and the initial response shows that being local is number one on their list. A three unitary model will mean people will have, for the first time, a simple one-stop-shop for all their local council services in one place. Their councillor will be part of the local community and understand their needs. Services can work together, and with communities, to tailor and deliver initiatives to meet local need and concentrate more on prevention. By linking services such as health, leisure, housing and social care it will provide better outcomes for people and provide value for money and affordability.

“A local unitary authority specifically for the western area of Suffolk would find it far easier than one mega council to concentrate on the unique attributes and needs of our market towns, and on the rural communities that surround them. It would also be able to carry forward the targeted support we already offer to key local employers, including the horse racing industry in Newmarket, and consolidate our position in the Cambridgeshire sub-region, which is a UK economic engine.

“Let’s seize this opportunity to not do things in the same old way but follow examples in the UK where smaller, more local, unitary authorities have been set up and are driving better services than before. I look forward to hearing the debate on three councils for Suffolk, giving triple the focus on delivering for local people.”

The motion recommends that West Suffolk Council:

Continues to work in partnership with other district and borough councils to develop a final proposal for three locally-focused, sustainable unitary councils on the basis that: 

1. residents are telling us that the most important thing to them is a local connection to their council;  
2. three councils would have the capacity, capability and resilience to drive service improvement on the things that matter most to residents; and
3. it is strongly believed that this model is most likely to meet both the Government’s criteria for local government reorganisation and our own local criteria, specifically the need to:
    
   1. best reflect a meaningful sense of place and identity to support local democracy whilst also ensuring the need to create economies of scale;  
   2. bolster the future financial sustainability of public services by considering the right scale and ability to drive this vision with system partners, as well as provide resilience in the short, medium and longer term;
   3. respect the character of Suffolk which is reflected in its diverse geography and local community identities;
   4. ensure focus on the future growth of, and opportunities across, East Anglia;
   5. provide the resilient, accountable leadership and capacity required to meet community needs and deliver public sector reform; and
   6. ensure our communities, businesses and residents have a strong voice on the East Anglian Mayoral Strategic Authority, and enable them to support the wider devolution agenda and delivery. 
       

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