Three unitaries could deliver ‘true public sector reform’ as plans to be submitted to Government

Plans to set up three unitary authorities in Suffolk will be submitted to the Government to deliver 'true public sector reform'.

All five district and borough councils have voted to submit their business case to the Government to do away with the current structure.

They, like the county council, will cease to exist and be replaced by unitary authorities with more powers by May 2028.

The proposal they have agreed on would set up three unitaries with new boundaries — Western Suffolk, Central and Eastern Suffolk, and Ipswich and Southern Suffolk — to be 'big enough to deliver, and local enough to care'.

Cllr Neil MacDonald, Ipswich's leader, said the proposals would unlock the 'tight boundary' of the borough and allow for more strategic development.

"Our decision-making and democracies are in the hands of local people and local organisations," he said.

His council approved the plans unanimously.

Not an 'election manifesto'

As part of the Government's call for business cases, councils have had to put together detailed proposals on what their preferred model could deliver.

The pitch for the three unitaries included savings to the tune of £34 million a year, with £20 million of that reinvested back into services.

Localised service delivery could save a further £67.5 million annually, the business case says.

Cllr Ian Fisher, the leader of the Conservatives in Ipswich, warned, however, against falling into the 'dark deep hole' of turning these figures into an 'election manifesto'.

This is because, ultimately, it will be down to the new unitary councillors to make savings, set Council Tax and deliver services.

Although a slight jab at the county council, which has already submitted its proposals for a single unitary authority covering the whole of Suffolk, both business cases have inherently had to spell out figures.

Ultimately, regardless of which model the Government chooses, these will be the figures the new unitaries, and the councillors elected to represent them, will be judged by.

The three-unitary proposal argues the costs of transitioning could be paid within roughly four years.

It further proposes to harmonise Council Tax — where it is brought to the same level for all residents of a given unitary — within the first year without increasing by more than the 4.99 per cent maximum allowed.

This, the proposals says, is between £0.53 and £1.78 per week, or £27.56 to £92.56 yearly.

Cllr Cliff Waterman, West Suffolk's leader, said the model would deliver 'true public sector reform' while keeping services and councils as local and small as possible.

Though approved unanimously by cabinet members, his authority held a wider vote with all councillors, who backed it with 37 votes for, 14 against and eight abstentions.

In Babergh, Cllr John Ward, the leader, argued the three-unitary model, proposing up to 66 councillors for each, would ensure representatives were able to handle the workload.

He said the proposals for a single unitary covering the county would result in the 'hollowing out of local democracy'.

Babergh approved the plans with 17 votes for, four against and two abstentions.

Neighbouring Mid Suffolk approved the proposals with 26 for and three against.

Why not two authorities?

Although the proposals were backed by the vast majority of district and borough councillors, several shared their disappointment at not seeing a proposal for two unitaries instead, separating Suffolk into East and West.

In East Suffolk, for instance, this was particularly due to concerns over the decision to include Felixstowe in a unitary authority with Ipswich rather than other coastal communities.

Cllr Mike Deacon, Felixstowe representative, said: "We see ourselves as, fundamentally, a coastal community with far more in common with similar communities [in] the Suffolk coast."

Cllr Seamus Bennett, also from Felixstowe, said the council was 'sleep walking' into the wrong solution.
East Suffolk Council still approved it with 30 votes for, seven against, and seven abstentions.

What's next?

The deadline for both proposals to be submitted to the Government is today.

A consultation will then be conducted by the Government, which they expect will end in early 2026, ahead of a final decision later that year.

Elections for a ‘shadow council’ will take place in May 2027, which will exist underneath the current structure until May 2028, when it will take over.