Samford Report for June Meetings 2025
1

Waterfront gets street lighting upgrade thanks to Ipswich Investment Fund

Lighting along Ipswich Waterfront has had a £129,000 upgrade thanks to a £2 million investment fund. The
work in Albion Wharf has seen 25 new low energy LED lanterns installed between Neptune Marina apartments
and Anchor Street apartments.The LED lanterns can be remotely monitored and controlled by Suffolk County
Council’s central management system, being dimmed at pre-determined times to maximise energy savings
whilst ensuring the right light is in the right place and at the right times.

The columns have a 25-year design life and have been made possible through the Ipswich Investment Fund,
which was established following recommendations from the Ipswich Policy Development Panel (PDP).The
Ipswich Investment Fund was granted by Suffolk County Council and is a £2 million pot to support projects
across the borough.

It focuses on boosting employment, arts/culture, and sustainable travel, with the first project being the
waterfront streetlighting upgrades. Ownership of this area consisted of multiple organisations including the
county council, Ipswich Borough Council, the University of Suffolk, and Associated British Ports.

All organisations worked closely together to enable the project to progress.Streetlights owned by the borough
council were already present for part of the route and the additional new lighting in Albion Wharf means it is
now present from Dance East to Patteson Road, a distance of 0.7 miles.

The lighting columns, finished in black, match those installed within the town centre. They are hinged to allow
future maintenance without the need for cherry pickers and are installed in retention sockets to enable quick
removal and installation.The installation work involved approximately 500m of trenching, often in concrete,
and associated underground cabling.

It’s time to shine the light on communities in Suffolk

The Suffolk Community Awards 2025 will recognise and celebrate all those who have improved the quality of
life for communities across Suffolk.

The Suffolk Community Awards, now in its sixth year, is brought together by Community Action Suffolk, Suffolk
County Council and Suffolk Association of Local Councils.
This year’s award ceremony is set to be another prestigious, heart-warming event showcasing the excellent
work and achievements of individuals and groups across Suffolk, being recognised by 18 awards, including a
new entry which will recognise one local councils’ response to climate change.

Other award categories range from youth participation and young person of the year to community building,
contribution to volunteering, most active communities and council, councillor, young councillor and clerk of
the year.

Nominations are now open and must be made by Sunday 13 July at www.suffolkcommunityawards.co.uk

Suffolk must avoid a “postcode lottery” of services and create one new council

Creating a new, single council for Suffolk will eliminate the risks of a postcode lottery of essential and life-
saving public services, the Leader of Suffolk County Council, Cllr. Matthew Hicks, has said today.

Speaking at the county council’s Annual General Meeting, Cllr Hicks criticised proposals to create two or even
three councils – which he argued would lead to “artificial borders” within the county. He said:

“Any suggestion of disaggregating or creating artificial divisions within this single market—leading to a
postcode lottery in care services or pitting one side of the county against another—is not something we should
pursue with any seriousness. The only option is for one Suffolk, and this is coming over loud and clear as we
talk with people across our county.

Samford Report for June Meetings 2025
2

“Now is not the time to create postcode lotteries of essential services, with authorities squabbling over finite
pools of financial and human resources.”

He emphasised that Suffolk had secured the opportunity to choose a bold new future that generations can be
proud of and warned about throwing this opportunity away. He said:

“We cannot afford to throw this opportunity away by choosing to recreate multiple layers of bureaucracy and
complexity, with unnecessary multiple local authorities. We cannot risk the disaggregation an dismemberment
of our adult social care services from the essential economies of scale it needs to continue to provide good
quality care and support services to our most vulnerable residents. We cannot afford to throw away hundreds
of millions of pounds of efficiency savings which could be used to invest further in essential services.”

Closing his speech, Cllr Hicks recommitted himself, and his administration, to lead Suffolk through to a bold
new future, saying:”Now is the time for visionary leadership. This council has a responsibility to get this right
for the people of Suffolk, to create a future that we and future generations can be proud of – and that’s what
this administration will do.”

You can read his full speech and watch the full council meeting on the councils’ YouTube channel.

Suffolk is open for business – Matthew Hicks

Last week, I attended the UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds, where
business and public sector leaders from Norfolk and Suffolk gathered. This three-day event brought together
thousands of investors, developers, and policymakers to share ideas and build partnerships for the UK’s future.

I was part of a panel representing Suffolk, highlighting why our region is an excellent place to live, work, invest,
and grow. My message was clear: Suffolk is open for business.
Suffolk boasts a £21 billion economy with over 35,000 businesses, many of which are world-class. The region is
seeing significant investment in the energy sector, particularly with Sizewell C and offshore wind projects. We
aim to harness this investment to create high-quality jobs and ensure coordinated projects that protect our
rural communities and landscapes.

We are leaders in agri-food and advanced manufacturing, with the Port of Felixstowe handling 36% of the UK’s
containerised trade. BT’s research labs at Adastral Park are at the forefront of advances in cybersecurity, AI,
and space-based technologies. Suffolk is truly a place where big ideas happen.

The Suffolk Business Board, established last May, is driving innovation, growth, and skills across the region.
The Board has already published the ambitious Suffolk Economic Strategy, which is attracting investment and
encouraging major companies to expand here. At UKREiiF, we showcased concrete opportunities from this
strategy, including unlocking land for over 11,500 new homes and supporting innovation hubs.
Our growth plan is aligned with Norfolk’s, reflecting the strong economic ties between our counties. Both
Suffolk and Norfolk have thriving rural areas and growing urban centres, with Ipswich and Norwich ranked
among the UK’s top ten growth locations.

As we enter a new era of devolution, residents will elect a Mayor for Norfolk and Suffolk next May. This Mayor
will have a seat at the Prime Minister’s Council of the Nations and Regions, providing a real opportunity to
shape national policy from the local level. Joint devolution business plans are being developed to drive
housing, infrastructure, and business growth.

UKREiiF confirmed that investors are looking for places with a clear vision, a united voice, and ready-to-go
projects. Suffolk ticks all those boxes.

Samford Report for June Meetings 2025
3

Proposal to create one new council for Suffolk reaches latest milestone

Work will continue on proposals to scrap Suffolk’s six councils and replace them with a new, single, fit for
purpose, authority delivering all public services – after the Government encouraged further work on the
plan.The proposal, which independent analysis by accounting firm PwC shows would save over £104 million in
just five years and £26 million a year thereafter, has been reviewed by the Government. The money saved
could be reinvested in vital public services. Ministers have urged the proposal to be developed further ahead
of the final plan being signed off in September 2025.

Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for devolution, local government reform
and NSIPs, said:

“The Government is encouraging all councils in Suffolk to continue to develop proposals for reorganisation. It’s
clear from their interim feedback that our single unitary council for Suffolk proposal best meets the criteria,
and any alternatives will have to work hard to justify the risks of breaking up critical services like social care,
creating new council boundaries and smaller population sizes.

“This is all quite apart from the significant extra cost of having more than one council. All the evidence shows
that one council for Suffolk is the only viable option to deliver significant savings that can be reinvested into
frontline services. In the first five years, early independent figures suggest a single council will save £104
million, while breaking Suffolk into three, as the districts and borough suggest, will cost taxpayers an additional
£52 million. To be clear – their proposal would cost more than the current 50-year-old system!

“The savings from creating a single unitary council can be reinvested into frontline public services that benefit
residents and ensure their council tax is as low as possible. The funding could be reinvested in services like
pothole repairs, waste collection and disposal, housing, social care, planning, parks and leisure, supporting
town centres, school placements and travel and street cleaning.

“But this isn’t just about money, it’s about people too. A single council will absolutely be able to reflect and
serve the whole of Suffolk, rural and urban, and our plans will clearly show how local priorities and residents’
voices can and will be central to decision making.

“If we’re going to create a truly sustainable and effective council structure for Suffolk, then one new council is
not just the only viable option, but also the best one.”

More than one council would cost more

Creating two or even three councils for Suffolk, including a Greater Ipswich, has also been proposed by the five
district and borough councils in Suffolk. If three were created, it would mean expanding Ipswich’s current
boundaries to include areas like Felixstowe, Woodbridge and possibly even Needham Market – as well as the
villages in between. But having multiple councils would actually cost money, not save it, and the costs will take
years to get back. A key part of this calculation is the cost of breaking up critical public services such as social
care. The national report by PwC has shown that the financial cost of breaking up services into three councils
would be over £150 million, not to mention the risk to vulnerable people caused by the upheaval.