Sudbury town councillor Jan Osborne files complaint over Market Hill plans
A former Sudbury mayor says the divisive circumstances that led to a town centre pilot scheme being scrapped must first be resolved, if parties are to work together on a way forward.
Town councillor Jan Osborne has submitted a complaint with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO), over alleged failings by a Suffolk County Council cabinet member.
Earlier this year, Suffolk’s transport portfolio holder Richard Smith withdrew permission for the town council’s plans for Market Hill over the summer.
The town council had previously received approval to trial a partial pedestrianisation of Market Hill between May and September, by removing the central parking bays.
The pilot was intended to gauge how football could be improved in the town centre, by creating space for public events and outdoor dining over the summer.
But, in April, Cllr Smith decided not to grant the experimental traffic regulation order required for the changes, in response to concerns about the impact on footfall and trade locally.
This followed the submission of a business survey by the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, indicating a negative response to the proposed scheme.
The decision to remove permission for the pilot, just one month before it was due to begin, prompted complaints to the county council’s monitoring officer, who has since ruled in favour of Mr Smith.
However, Cllr Osborne – independently of the town council – confirmed she has now escalated her complaint to the LGSCO, with an outcome expected in the coming weeks.
She alleged that Mr Smith did not uphold his obligations under the county council’s constitution, by failing to be transparent or engage with all stakeholders before making his decision.
“We want to move forward,” she said. “But first, we have got to resolve what happened before, because it was absolutely outrageous.”
Sudbury Town Council confirmed that it has not lodged a complaint, as a collective corporate body, to the LGSCO over the Market Hill decision – but stated that individual councillors may do so.
Town clerk Ciaran Griffin said: “No one has yet proposed changing the town council’s current policy, which is to support the Market Hill scheme, so it remains the official policy.”
Cllr Osborne – who was Sudbury mayor at the time of Suffolk County Council’s decision – said she would await the outcome of her complaint, before considering her next steps.
She told SuffolkNews that, in her personal view, the town council should not give up on introducing the Market Hill pilot at some point in the future.
“The strange thing is that Mr Smith should be advised by his officers,” said Cllr Osborne. “Well, we haven’t been working alone on this.
“The town council voted for the pilot in 2022, and we’ve been working with Suffolk County Council’s officers. Why then, two years down the line, is it suddenly not viable?
“We need a pilot to establish whether it would work. The chamber of commerce can’t say it will reduce footfall, any more than we can say it will increase it. That’s why we wanted to have this pilot.”
Meanwhile, at a full town council meeting last week, members agreed to explore the possibility of a new working group with Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.
Representatives of the business chamber suggested they were in favour of greater collaboration, after claiming that businesses had not been adequately consulted when it came to the Market Hill trial.
Robin Bailey, the chamber’s chairman, told the meeting: “It was apparent when we did a survey of local businesses that not one of them was aware of what was happening.
“If something is proposed, we can seek their views, what their fears are, what they like and then bring that back, so we can swing something around that everyone agrees with.”
Chamber committee member Simon Barrett insisted the survey they submitted to Suffolk County Council represented the opinions of businesses, “no more and no less”.
Several town councillors also expressed a desire for a more collaborative approach going forward.
Peter Beer told the meeting: “The chamber of commerce was excluded. They do represent businesses in Sudbury, and we need to know their views.
“I have no problem with what has gone on in the past, but we do need to make sure that businesses have a say, because they pay the highest rates.”
While Cllr Osborne said she supported the principle of working together, she felt the circumstances that had led to this point still needed to be addressed.
“I have been a town councillor for 18 years,” she added. “There’s nothing I would do that I didn’t think was for the best of the town.
“I understand we want to build bridges, but we have to resolve this first, because we would be looking from them how we can resolve Market Hill.”
What should happen with Market Hill? Email your views to newsdesk@suffolkfreepress.co.uk
