Ipswich Borough Council

Ipswich Borough Council
History
Founded 1974
Preceded by Ipswich Corporation
Website
www.ipswich.gov.uk
Ipswich Borough Council offices, Grafton House on Russell Road

Ipswich Borough Council is the Borough Council that covers Ipswich in Suffolk.[1]

Ipswich Borough Council is the second tier of a two-tier Council System. Ipswich Borough Council is a non-metropolitan district fulfilling functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning with Suffolk County Council providing County Council services such as transport, education and social services.

It was founded in 1974 after the abolition of the County Borough of Ipswich.

Between 1979 and September 2004, Ipswich Borough Council was under Labour control. The town was then governed by a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition until May 2011 when it reverted to Labour. The current Borough Council Leader is Labour's parliamentary candidate for the next General Election David Ellesmere.

In April 2006 the borough council initiated public discussions about the idea of turning the borough into a unitary authority[2] (Ipswich had constituted a county borough from 1889 to 1974, independent of the administrative county of East Suffolk, and this status was not restored by the Banham/Cooksey Commission in the 1990s). Ipswich, Norwich, Exeter and Oxford united to campaign for unitary authority status for the four towns, hoping to use the window of opportunity presented by the October 2006 Local Government White Paper. In March 2007, it was announced that Ipswich was one of sixteen shortlisted councils[3] and on 25 July 2007, the Secretary of state announced that she was minded to implement the unitary proposal for Ipswich, but that there were 'a number of risks relating to the financial case set out in the proposal',[4] on which she invited Ipswich to undertake further work before a final decision is taken.[5] Early in December plans were thrown into doubt as the Government announced that it had 'delayed' the unitary bids for Ipswich and Exeter.[6] In July 2008 the Boundary Committee announced their preferred option was for a unitary authority covering Ipswich and the south-eastern corner of Suffolk (including Felixstowe).[7]

The borough is covered by two parliamentary constituencies: Ipswich, which covers about 75% and is represented by Conservative MP Ben Gummer, and Central Suffolk & North Ipswich, which covers the remaining 25% and is represented by Conservative MP Daniel Poulter.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ipswich Borough Council
  2. ↑ Richard Atkins, David Ellesmere, Elizabeth Harsant (1 April 2006). "The case for a unitary Ipswich" (PDF). Ipswich Borough Council.
  3. ↑ "Town council unitary bid success". BBC News. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
  4. ↑ "Decision letters for the unitary proposals". Department for Communities and Local Government. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  5. ↑ "Borough is awarded unitary status". BBC News. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  6. ↑ "Unitary bid put on hold". Evening Star 24. 5 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  7. ↑ Draft proposals for unitary local government in Norfolk and Suffolk Boundary Committee
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