Published in the East Anglian Daily Times and the Evening Star on Tuesday 22 July 2025.
Dear Editor,
Our Conservative-led County Council voted to promote a single Unitary option for Suffolk on 9th January, less than a month after Government published its intention to end two-tier council systems by 2028. The Conservatives also gained permission to cancel this year’s County elections, removing the public’s right to have a say at the ballot box.
Suffolk’s Districts and Borough believe 2 or 3 smaller and more local Unitary Authorities would be a better option for the public. Councils will shortly be voting on this, having asked for their residents’ views.
County Conservatives have similarly run a ‘consultation’ – subsequent to their decision, and alongside their ‘One Suffolk’ campaign promoting their choice. How this extensive ongoing social media campaign is funded is unclear – adverts state ‘Paid for by Capsule,’ but questions I’ve seen posted about Capsule’s role remain unanswered.
One Suffolk’s claim that its campaign “isn’t politics” may at first glance seem reasonable, given that a final decision on how our county is reorganised will not be made locally, but by Government Minister Jim McMahon MP. However, control of the single Unitary the Conservatives favour would of course be made via a Suffolk-wide election, resulting in a single Administration running every council service – from Highways, to Planning, to Libraries. In recent local elections, voters have chosen a diversity of political control with a range of parties speaking for their electorates. A huge amount of political power is clearly at stake here.
The County Council’s claim that a single Unitary will be cheaper also fails to provide detail. As just one example, it is likely to cut by half the number of elected councillors, each with much higher caseloads, covering wider areas across Suffolk. Ostensibly cheaper – but has the loss of support district councillors currently give their local wards been factored in? Or the huge impact on unpaid parish and town councillors already working hard for their communities?
Two or three councils would keep services and accountability more local. It would more accurately reflect voting preferences and mean more political voices advocating for local communities and speaking up for our county. In contrast, One Suffolk’s lack of transparency about its funding and political motivation does not bode well for our reorganised county if the Conservatives are successful – as they undoubtedly hope to be – in taking overall control of a single council for Suffolk.