Why county council's £7.8m overspend is bigger than it looks

A £7.8m overspend sounds modest against an £850m budget, but it comes as Suffolk County Council's financial safety net is forecast to more than halve this year, leaving less room to absorb future shocks.

Leaking ceilings, flooded floors: the latest crisis at Pipers Court

Just two months after bin chutes overflowed in the sweltering summer heat, the halls of Pipers Court are now flooding, as heavy rain exposed fresh problems at the Ipswich block, with standing water reaching residents' front doors.

Hadwen talks Ipswich

Suffolk County Council leader Michael Hadwen says the collapse of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Suffolk will be the turning point in his relationship with Ipswich, as a clearer picture emerges of just how far the government has retreated and what comes next.

Should Lloyds Avenue wait for Debenhams?

Ipswich Borough Council announced a start date for its long-delayed Lloyds Avenue redevelopment on the same day it confirmed it had purchased and would demolish the former Debenhams building. We ask: should the two schemes share one masterplan, rather than proceed separately?

University marks 10 years with hedgerow planting

Staff, student representatives and partners gathered at the University of Suffolk's waterfront campus to plant the first shrubs of a new hedgerow, launching a year of anniversary events.

Ipswich taxi fare rise proposed for October

Ipswich Borough Council's Executive will consider proposals to increase hackney carriage fares, with a typical two-mile daytime journey rising from £8.00 to £8.10, subject to public consultation.

Shrubland Hall: A terror threat that never was, and a taxpayer bill police won't disclose

In mid-July, around 15,000 Sunni Muslims packed into a private religious gathering at a country estate near the tiny Suffolk village of Barham. A major incident was declared following an alleged terror threat. Taxpayers are believed to have footed the bill, but police won't say how much it is.

Indie record shop to open on St Nicholas Street

Musictakeaway, a Norfolk-based vinyl specialist, is set to open its first Ipswich store at 4 St Nicholas Street, taking on a Grade II listed building previously home to a travel agency for over 10 years.

Suffolk creates 648 new school places, including 87 SEND places in Ipswich

Suffolk County Council says 648 new school and SEND places are available for children and young people this academic year, including 243 specialist SEND places funded by an £8.6 million investment, with 87 of those SEND places in Ipswich.

How one Ipswich family is turning loss into something beautiful

When Ian Spilling died in June, his wife's colleagues at Bluebird Lodge rallied around her, and together they are now building something that will outlast their grief.

Government scraps council reorganisation in Suffolk and Norfolk

The government's abrupt decision to abandon local government reorganisation (LGR) in Suffolk and Norfolk marks one of the most significant reversals in English local governance for a decade.

Felixstowe electric truck hub edges closer with £50,000 boost

Freeport East has given £50,000 to help Maritime Transport develop plans for an electric HGV charging hub in Felixstowe, with the facility potentially open by 2028.

Hay Wain exhibition draws 11,000 visitors in eight weeks

More than 11,000 tickets have been booked for The Hay Wain: Walking Constable's Landscape at Christchurch Mansion since it opened on 11 July, with the exhibition closing on Sunday, 4 October.

Suffolk fly-tipping cases top 4,000 as government plans tougher fines

Suffolk councils recorded 4,144 fly-tipping incidents last year, but issued just 54 fines, as the Government prepares to raise maximum penalties by 400% to £5,000.

New playground put to the test by Ipswich Prep School pupils

Pupils at Ipswich Prep School spent their first day back this term climbing, balancing and exploring a brand-new playground, officially opened by the Mayor of Ipswich in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Exclusive: The demolition of Debenhams

Ipswich.co.uk can exclusively reveal that Ipswich Borough Council has acquired the former Debenhams building for £4m and plans to demolish it after the current owner, Unex, stripped it bare and allowed it to become a "blight" on our high street for half a decade.

Lloyds Avenue work to begin this year, six years on

Ipswich Borough Council says construction on the Lloyds Avenue revamp will finally go ahead, after Suffolk County Council approved the highways work needed – six years after the scheme was first proposed and five years after funding was secured.

Forgotten Ipswich: The hippodrome that time forgot

Ipswich's theatrical history is usually remembered through its grandest venues, but long before the famous Hippodrome on St Nicholas Street, there was another Hippodrome, on Woodbridge Road, almost entirely erased from local memory, with barely a trace left to prove it ever existed.

Thomas Wolsey pub unveils new mural celebrating Sheeran gig

A new mural has been unveiled at the Thomas Wolsey pub in Ipswich, created by local artist Maddie Willis to mark Ed Sheeran's surprise gig at the venue, with Mayor Pat Bruce-Browne on hand for the unveiling.

Council's bagged waste crackdown cuts town centre mess by two-thirds

Weeks after Ipswich.co.uk highlighted bin bags piling up outside town centre shops, the council says enforcement action has cut the number left out on the street each week from 84 to 29.

Bramford man jailed for six years over drug dealing

A 25-year-old man has been jailed for six years and a woman given a suspended sentence after Suffolk Police uncovered a drugs operation at a house in Bramford.

Suffolk completes 141km road surface dressing programme

Suffolk Highways has finished this year's surface dressing programme, treating 86 sites and more than 750,000 square metres of road between June and August.

Ten years of The Smokehouse and the scene it built in Ipswich

Ten years ago, a disused office space at South Street became a stage. As The Smokehouse turns ten, it is sharing its birthday month with the University of Suffolk – and the pair are throwing a party together.

Buttermarket reopens after closure

The Buttermarket reopened at 08:00 today, Thursday, 3 September, following a closure caused by a burst water main.