SAMFORD DIVISION ANNUAL REPORT 22/03/2023
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Contents
April 2022
£350,000 of funding to support the ambitions set out in the Suffolk Violence Against Women
and Girls Strategy 2022.
Suffolk Highways will resurface 150 miles of new roads across 173 different sites across the
county.
Page 2
May 2022
Suffolk County Council has planted 198,547 trees across Suffolk in just the last two years. Page 3
June 2022
Funding for second phase of £45 million five-year project agreed by Cabinet. Page 4
July 2022
A new map for hauliers plotting routes for journeys across Suffolk has been drawn up.
Page 5
August 2022
The council submitted a bid of £1,362,000 to the Department for Transport, as part of the
Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme.
Page 6
September 2022
Mobile number plate recognition system to be rolled out across Suffolk. Page 7
October 2022
The Council agreed a new wave of funding to provide places for children and young people
with SEND.
Page 8
November 2022
A project with the aim of replacing all 43,400 streetlights across Suffolk with sustainable,
longer-lasting, and cost-saving LED bulbs nears completion.
Page 9
December 2022
A landmark devolution deal, which puts money and power over building, regeneration and
skills into the hands of leaders in Suffolk will be signed.
Page 10
January 2023
Adult care services and children’s services will receive £47m more funding as part of Suffolk
County Council’s £685m budget proposals.
Page 12
February 2023
Milestone Infrastructure, part of M Group Services, has been awarded Suffolk’s new
highways services contract, which will begin on 1 October 2023.
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Violence Against Women and Girls funding announced.
Suffolk County Council has announced £350,000 of funding to support the ambitions
set out in the Suffolk Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2022.This fund has
been provided by Suffolk County Council to support the work of the strategy in
preventing violence, supporting victims, pursuing perpetrators and strengthening the
system.
The fund is to be launched in partnership with Suffolk Community Foundation. Any
organisations wishing to make an application can do so by visiting Suffolk Community
Foundation or contacting them on grants@suffolkcf.org.uk or 01473 602602.
Organisations can make an application for funding for up to £5,000 for pilot projects
or up to £50,000 for projects which have already been piloted. These grants are
available for up to 3 years.
The Strategy is available to view online at: Suffolk VAWG Strategy 2022-25
150 miles of new road surfaces in Suffolk
Suffolk Highways begins its programme to resurface and surface dress 150 miles of
new roads across 173 different sites across the county this year. The two separate
programmes provide new surfaces for vehicles to travel on, with the treatments
expected to last between 5 and 20 years; depending on the type of treatment and
volumes of vehicles using the roads amongst many other factors.
Road resurfacing is a process where the old surface is either overlaid with a new
surface or removed to a certain depth and a new surface is applied, whereas surface
dressing is a preventative process that is used to seal and improve the surface of the
roads, slowing down the deterioration of the road surface and improving its skid
resistance. The rapid speed of this process means that disruption to road users, local
businesses and emergency services is minimised. The process involves an application
April 2022
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of hot bitumen emulsion, followed by a layer of stone chips. Sites may be patched
and prepared in advance of the surface dressing.
Following several trials across the UK, it has been demonstrated that the removal of
some road markings can have a positive effect on road safety by reducing vehicle
speeds. Therefore, road markings may not always be replaced like for like. This
approach also supports the need for Suffolk Highways to reduce its ongoing
maintenance liabilities.
As part of the surface dressing process, it is essential that once the road is reopened
to traffic, the 20mph speed limit is adhered to, this avoids damage to vehicles and
the slow-moving traffic further embeds the chippings. The road is swept at regular
intervals to remove any excess chippings.
• First sweep: within 24 hours after completion of the works
• Second sweep: within 7 days after works are completed
• Third sweep (if required): within 14 days of works being completed.
Council on course to plant 200,000 trees
Suffolk County Council has planted 198,547 trees across Suffolk in just the last two
years (at an average of 272 per day).
Much of this was possible thanks to £400,000 of the council’s own Suffolk 2020 Fund,
to protect and encourage biodiversity in the county.
In one year, 198,547 average adult trees could absorb the equivalent CO2 emitted
by:
• 8,845,898 miles travelled in a typical petrol car
• 903 typical household gas boilers running for a year
• 199 Suffolk residents each year
May 2022
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The planting includes 12 miles of new mixed native species hedgerows across 15
county farm holdings, delivering new wildlife habitat, ecological corridors and
enhanced landscapes.
The council worked with many partners to make the tree planting a success,
including The Woodland Trust, Suffolk Tree Warden Network, county farm tenants,
landowners, local authorities and communities, and contractor Giles Landscapes.
Extra funding agreed by Cabinet to fund new SEND places
Funding for second phase of £45 million five-year project agreed by Cabinet.
Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet has today agreed an additional £15.9million to
complete the funding for the creation of at least 879 specialist places for children
and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
This money marks the second phase of a £45million five-year project to deliver
specialist provision for SEND students in Suffolk. These places include units attached
to mainstream schools and three new special schools.
So far, 500 new places have opened across the county, with another 325 due to open
between September 2022 and September 2024 under phase 1. The additional money
will enable the completion of phase 2 of the project, and the creation of between 54
to 72 new places, depending on design and planning.
The new SEND places support the growing number of children and young people in
Suffolk who need specialist help at school. Between September 2021 and May 2022
there have been 1,333 referrals for specialist placements for children currently in
mainstream schools.
Plans for new SEND places under phase 3 will come before Cabinet from September.
The newly-approved £15.9million includes £6million to complete phase 2,
£4.6million to cover overspend and a grant from the Department for Education of
£5.3million.
June 2022
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The special schools include Castle EAST, a new communication and interaction school
in north Suffolk; a new social, emotional and mental health school in west Suffolk
named Sir Peter Hall; and a communication and interaction school in south Suffolk,
Woodbridge Road Academy.
New routes added as Suffolk County Council issues updated HGV map
A new map for hauliers plotting routes for journeys across Suffolk has been drawn
up.
The Suffolk County Council Lorry Route Plan now incorporates new developments
and roads, schemes such as Air Quality Management Areas, and changes in road
safety on lorry routes.
Changes to the map include utilising new by-passes and link roads at Beccles, Eye
and Haverhill to divert traffic away from town centres, and downgrading of routes at
Leiston and Stowlangtoft. The new edition also features, for the first time, routes in
Ipswich.
The map, compiled following a three-month consultation with all parish and town
councils in Suffolk, was last updated in 2011 although a minor review was held in
2017.
While hauliers are not compelled to use the routes it does help them identify the
best roads for their journey. It also discourages them from taking routes that can
cause disruption, road safety concerns and environmental concerns to local
communities.
Read more about the review and view the new map here
July 2022
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Council to boost electric vehicle charging across Suffolk
The council submitted a bid of £1,362,000 to the Department for Transport, as part
of the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme.
Suffolk’s residents and visitors will see further improvements to the county’s electric
vehicle (EV) charging network, following Suffolk County Council’s successful bid to
fund more charging points.
With additional contributions such as commercial funding, the project will see a total
investment of around £2.75m.
The new LEVI funding will allow the council to develop the county’s EV charging
network by:
• PV solar power and battery storage upgrades to approximately 10 existing
sites
• Installing community EV charging, PV solar power and battery storage at over
30 further sites in urban and rural areas
• Identifying key commercial sites for 7kW, rapid and ultra-rapid chargers,
which will benefit the local community
Suffolk County Council has led the way in electric vehicle charging, following the
launch of Plug In Suffolk in 2019. It was the UK’s first ‘fully open’ public EV fast
charging network and has seen other local authorities around the country follow that
model.
Plug In Suffolk has now installed 100 charging points around the county, with an
emphasis on installations in rural locations and supporting households without off-
street charging capabilities.
August 2022
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Suffolk Roadsafe Partnership rolls out ANPR devices to target speeding
motorists
Speeding motorists are to be targeted with a mobile number plate recognition
system to be rolled out across Suffolk.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) will be
rotated around sites where there is a problem with speeding or rat-running on roads
with a 20 or 30mph speed limit.
The devices, 10 in total, will display the speeds of drivers to them as they approach,
encouraging them to slow down.
If they continue to ignore the speed limit the ANPR camera will take a picture of
them and record the date, time, speed, vehicle registration and a photo of the
vehicle.
In certain cases, persistent offenders will be reported to Suffolk Constabulary and,
while no one will be prosecuted as a direct result of the devices, they may be visited
by a police officer who will speak to them about their driving.
The information shared with the police may also influence the deployment of speed
enforcement vans to problem areas.
This project is part of the Suffolk Roadsafe Partnership between Suffolk County
Council and Suffolk Constabulary.
Suffolk County Council provided £400,000 from the 2020 Fund to support a two-year
trial.
A grant of £30,000 has also been awarded by the Road Safety Trust to evaluate the
project and establish whether the camera scheme is effective in reducing speeding.
September 2022
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Next round of new SEND places agreed by Cabinet
The Council’s Cabinet has this afternoon agreed a new wave of funding to continue
its programme to provide places for children and young people with SEND.
The £3million agreement marks the start of Phase 3 of the Capital Programme to
create three additional specialist units providing 42 additional places for students
with special educational needs and disabilities. This follows Phase 1 of the
programme which created 825 news places across Suffolk and Phase 2, which was
signed off in June 2022, and will create up to 73 new places.
So far, £45million has been allocated by Suffolk County Council to deliver the new
places for Phase 1 and Phase 2 – £15million of which has been provided by the
Department for Education.
In addition, Cabinet also agreed to support the Department for Education’s High
Needs Provision Capital Funding (HNPCF) for 2023/24 of £7million to be spent on the
development of units attached to mainstream schools to support students with
social, emotional and mental health problems and speech, language and
communication needs. This will create up to 168 new spaces, and is an addition to
previous funding agreed from the Department for Education in 2022/23 for up to 78
new places.
The third item signed off today was Cabinet’s support for the application for funding
for two free schools from the Department for Education. One of these will be in east
Suffolk and support children with severe learning difficulties and the second will be
built in Sudbury for those with autistic spectrum disorder and complex social,
emotional and mental health problems. If the bids are successful, both schools will
teach children and young people from across Suffolk.
In total, Suffolk will deliver up to 1,317 new places for children and young people
with SEND by 2025/26.
October 2022
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The next step for Phase 3 is for schools across Suffolk to express an interest in having
a specialist unit and, following these expressions of interest, the most suitable sites
will be chosen. This programme for improved provision is informed by the SEND
Sufficiency Plan 2022-25.
New special schools opened in Suffolk include Castle EAST, a communication and
interaction school in north Suffolk; a social, emotional and mental health school in
west Suffolk named Sir Peter Hall; and a communication and interaction school in
south Suffolk, Woodbridge Road Academy.
£2.5 million saved on energy costs as LED streetlight project nears completion
A project with the aim of replacing all 43,400 streetlights across Suffolk with
sustainable, longer-lasting, and cost-saving LED bulbs nears completion.
It has saved more than £2.5 million pounds so far.
The change to LED streetlights supports Suffolk County Council’s aim to reduce
carbon, light pollution, and bring down ongoing maintenance costs for the council, all
whilst providing the best value to residents.
It was expected that the council would reduce costs by around 76%, however, the
target was exceeded, with 77.64% savings made to date.
In June 2021, Bouygues Energies and Services were announced as the partner to
deliver the project to upgrade 43,400 Suffolk streetlights with new, reduced energy
LED lanterns. The total number of upgraded streetlights is currently at 40,692
excluding any of the Ipswich Borough Council, or Town/Parish council owned
streetlights. There are approximately 1,700 upgrades outstanding, which includes
any remaining heritage lantern upgrades. It is hoped that around 1200 of the
remaining lanterns will be completed by the end of the year.
Prior to the commencement of the project, Suffolk Highways contacted towns and
parishes to provide them with the opportunity to have their parish-council owned
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street-lighting upgraded at the same time. All heritage-style lanterns are also being
upgraded as part of the project.
The upgrade of the lighting system will include a further rollout of SCC’s central
management system which will allow lights to be switched on or off and dim
individual or groups of lights.
This smart technology will increase the control the council has over its power
consumption which will further reduce costs. The system will also automatically flag
any lights that are not working which reduces the need for night-time inspections.
Historic half a billion pound devolution deal hands Suffolk regeneration and
skills powers to level up
A landmark devolution deal, which puts money and power over building,
regeneration and skills into the hands of leaders in Suffolk will be signed today.
Suffolk will be devolved power over their Adult Education budget, so they can shape
provision in a way that best suits the needs of the local community and will receive
immediate support to build new affordable homes on brownfield sites, as well as
more capital funding to improve energy efficiency in houses.
The deal will also see Suffolk County Council handed control over a £480 million
investment fund – this will be guaranteed for the next thirty years. This will enable
the county to drive growth and plan for the long-term with certainty as it looks to
level up and unlock its full economic potential.
Suffolk will also get a directly elected leader of the council. This not only provides a
single person who is accountable to the people of Suffolk but gives the county a local
champion who can attract investment and be a stronger voice in discussions with
central government.
The Levelling Up Secretary will today attend a ceremony in Bury St Edmunds with Cllr
December 2022
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Matthew Hicks to officially sign the deal. Michael Gove will also visit Norfolk to sign a
devolution agreement with Norfolk County Council, which will transfer further
money and power out of Whitehall. The deals follow Cornwall Council who just last
week signed their own devolution deal with the government, unlocking powers and
long-term funding of £360 million.
The deal also sets out the government’s plans to devolve more power to Suffolk
County Council through:
• Investment: It will bring decades of funding worth £480 million to improve the
lives of Suffolk’s residents and spend on their local priorities.
• Housing: The deal will provide £5.8 million to regenerate brownfield land into
beautiful, affordable homes and drive economic growth across the area;
Suffolk will also receive greater compulsory purchase powers.
• Education: The agreement devolves the Adult Education Budget so they can
shape provision in a way that best suits the needs of residents and the local
Suffolk economy.
• Transport: An integrated transport settlement starting in 2024/25, to support
the area to improve key transport infrastructure priorities.
• The Environment: The new deal will help Suffolk deliver on its ambitions to be
the country’s greenest county with £3 million to improve energy efficiency in
homes.
The deal is now subject to local consultation, a council resolution to change their
governance model so that electors directly elect the council leader, and elements,
such as the transfer of new powers, require parliamentary approval to secondary
legislation. The deal envisages the election of a directly elected leader in May 2024.
Subject to the passing of the relevant measures in the Levelling Up and Regeneration
Bill, Suffolk and Norfolk would call the directly elected person the “elected leader” of
the County Council.
Proposed agreement for a devolution deal between the government and Suffolk
County Council (gov.uk)
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Council to protect frontline services and increase funding in budget proposal
Adult care services and children’s services will receive £47m more funding as part of
Suffolk County Council’s £685m budget proposals, published today.
Adult care services and children’s services will receive £47m more funding as part of
Suffolk County Council’s £685m budget proposals, published today.
Despite an incredibly challenging economic climate, the council has been able to
produce a balanced budget. This will protect the services that people rely on the
most and continue to care for the most vulnerable, which accounts for 75% of the
whole budget.
Adult care services will have £34m more in their budget, and children’s services will
have a further £13m. This will help with the extra expense needed to meet the huge
increase in demands for services, as well as higher costs due to inflation.
The budget-setting has been achieved with input from the council’s partners,
officers, departments and notably, Suffolk residents. Over 2,600 local people
contributed to an online survey and focus groups, asking where they would spend
more money, spend less money, and their views on Council Tax.
The top service areas where people wanted to spend more, were social care services
for adults and children.
Some of the service areas where people also said they wanted to see more money
spent, will receive additional funding:
• £700,000 for SEND services to support new recruitment, which is on top of the
£1.1m invested this year
• £500,000 for Highways: to use environmentally friendly weed treatments, and
stop using glyphosate which can damage wildlife
• £110,000 for tree management: to support the ‘right tree right place’ policy,
having an appropriate inspection regime and supporting the resulting tree
management requirements.
• £45,000 for Citizens Advice: to support work during cost of living challenges
January 2023
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A budget gap for next year – the difference between what money is available and
what needs to be spent – had already been identified, resulting in savings of £15.5m
for next year.
Under the proposals, the council’s budget would increase by 9.6% (from £625.3m to
£685.3). Additional funds would come from a total 3.99% increase in Council Tax, and
an increase in funds from the Government for adult and children’s social care.
Regarding Council Tax, the proposed 3.99% increase would be made up of a 1.99%
increase in general Council Tax and a 2.00% increase dedicated to funding adult care.
This means costs for a household would look like:
• Band B property: £22.32 per week (85 pence per week increase from 2022-23)
(Band B properties are the most common in Suffolk)
• Band D property: £28.70 per week (£1.10 pence per week increase from 2022-
23)
Read papers for the SCC Scrutiny meeting on 10 January 2023 here.
New highways services arriving in Suffolk as multi-million-pound contract
awarded
Milestone Infrastructure, part of M Group Services, has been awarded Suffolk’s new
highways services contract, which will begin on 1 October 2023.
Following an extensive procurement exercise, Suffolk County Council has confirmed
Milestone will be its new contract partner for up to 20 years. The new partnership,
which is worth in the region of £800 million – £1 billion, will be delivering highway
projects and improvements across Suffolk, including but not limited to maintaining
roads, pavements and rights of way, drainage, hedge trimming, construction of new
road schemes, snow-clearing and gritting.
When searching for its new highways partner, the county council worked with
leading industry analysts to understand the different types of arrangements that
other local authorities have in place, to look at which specialist providers are in the
marketplace, and to find out what aspects of contract agreement may work best for
Suffolk.
February 2023
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The council wanted the new contract to focus on delivering greater social value,
utilising local skills and talent, giving young people the opportunity to work in the
sector as well as building on the council’s commitment to carbon reduction and
protecting the environment.
A rigorous procurement exercise was carried out over many months, with various
stages of discussions with service providers, to evolve their solutions to meet the
various contractual requirements and deliver an effective and efficient highway
service for Suffolk. Final submissions were evaluated and extensively moderated
before the final winning contract was awarded.