“We are disappointed but not surprised that the county council administration are proposing a single unitary council for Suffolk before the business case has even been written.
We are in favour of devolution as a principle that genuinely empowers and brings decision-making closer to local communities, but this is not what is being proposed to date.
Why do we not look at the lessons of history, many councils that have unitarised have spent millions on doing so and many are yet to see a penny of savings or services improve.
A single unitary council for Suffolk could well take decision-making further away from communities, as it will lead to larger electoral divisions and decisions being made centrally for the whole county. Suffolk is a county with areas of different character and need, and what is best for Ipswich may not be best for rural Mid Suffolk, or the coastal communities of East Suffolk.
We will fight for keeping the ‘local’ in local democracy every step of the way.”