Why it matters: The legal firm's backing takes the number of major employers publicly supporting the bypass to ten, collectively employing over 3,000 people and generating more than £100 million in GDP. Meanwhile, the council's cross-party vote signals renewed political momentum for the project that was killed off in 2020.
What's new: Suffolk County Council voted 29-12 with eight abstentions to back calls for the Northern Bypass following a motion by Labour councillor Sandy Martin, successfully amended by the Conservatives.
The vote came as Ellisons added its name to an open letter originally signed by nine major employers on 3 July, coordinated by Ipswich Central demanding either bypass discussions or "a clear and practical alternative solution".
Bethan Williams, partner at Ellisons Solicitors, said: "As major employers in Ipswich, we feel compelled to speak with one voice for urgent political support and funding to move forward with the long-awaited Ipswich bypass, as repeated closures of the Orwell Bridge continue to cause severe traffic congestion across the town centre."
She added: "The current situation is unsustainable. Each closure of Orwell Bridge causes major disruption throughout the town centre, resulting in delays, lost productivity and reduced accessibility for employees, customers and suppliers."
Growing business pressure: The employers' coalition now includes Birketts, Willis Tower Watson, University of Suffolk, Suffolk New College, OCS, Ashtons Legal, Barnes Construction, TRU7 Group, Associated British Ports and Ellisons.
Their intervention follows Ipswich MP Jack Abbott's petition for a northern bypass, which has attracted more than 2,200 signatures, describing the situation as "bypass or bust".
Local transport executive and expert Mark Ling, a longstanding bypass campaigner, said Suffolk County Council "must now be open and clear that their sole focus is on the inner route" – referencing the original 1990s plan that "was formally adopted by SCC in the 1990s, where a quasi blight path was enacted, and a small number of affected properties had already been purchased".
Political divisions remain: Despite the vote, significant opposition persists. Councillor Chris Chambers, the county's lead for transport strategy, criticised Abbott's campaign as a "lazy slogan," and previously said "there was no universal political support for the scheme then, and nothing suggests to me that that has changed in the last six years," though he supported the amended motion.
Councillor Elaine Bryce, who opposed the original scheme, warns that development needed to unlock Government funding would cause "devastation" in rural villages. "Why should that be at the cost of those who choose to live in the rural villages," she said.
Funding challenges persist: The bypass project has faced repeated setbacks since its original conception in the 1960s. The most recent iteration was shelved in January 2020 after requiring 15,000 new homes above existing local plans to secure Government backing – a commitment local district councils rejected, according to the county council.
The funding challenge has intensified following the Government's recent announcement of £92 billion for transport projects across England, which excluded Suffolk's long-awaited Ely and Haughley rail junction improvements.
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce described the exclusion as a "funding punishment beating for the East of England", leaving the county's ports and logistics sectors without vital infrastructure improvements.
It was a damaging blow for the chamber who prioritised the junction improvements over other key infrastructure projects (like the northern bypass) because it was viewed as more likely to be approved.
What happens next: Under the agreed motion, Suffolk County Council will seek clarity from Government on where transport schemes including the bypass sit in national priorities. The authority commits to working with MPs on a united case while recognising the new East Anglian Mayor will play a key role in delivery.
Councillor Matthew Hicks, council leader, said: "Suffolk is waiting for a whole series of infrastructure to move forward. Labour has failed, so far, to bring new funding."
Transport cabinet member Chris Chambers indicated no decision would be made until after elections for the new mayoral authority in May 2026, telling the BBC: "We're not going to build a northern bypass in a year. It will be the mayor that will deliver a northern bypass."
This unlikely to sit well with residents, employers and Ipswich MP Jack Abbott.
The bottom line: With ten major employers, cross-party political support and mounting public pressure, the Northern Bypass campaign has unprecedented backing – but the same fundamental funding and planning challenges that killed the project five years ago remain unresolved, and the project is still fraught with challenges. Businesses and residents can all but hope that quick progress can be made and that momentum continues once the latest round of engineering works are completed.
