> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Hadwen talks Ipswich - URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/hadwen-talks-ipswich/ - Published: 2026-09-09T12:14:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-09T12:14:19.000Z - Description: 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. - Author: Oliver Rouane-Williams - Tags: Long Reads, Michael Hadwen, Suffolk County Council, Devolution & Local Government Reform Twenty-four hours after ministers unexpectedly withdrew their decision to restructure local government in Suffolk, Essex, Hampshire and Norfolk, I jumped on a call with the unsurprisingly buoyant Reform UK Suffolk County Council leader to ask what the announcement actually means – for Suffolk's two-tier system, for devolution, and, most importantly, for a town he has often been accused of overlooking. ## Not a 'pause' When Communities Secretary Angela Rayner announced the latest government U-turn, she told Parliament that "in light of legal advice" she must be satisfied that the government's entire LGR process "is robust and, of course, complies with the law." The government "withdrew" reorganisation decisions in Suffolk, Essex, Hampshire and Norfolk, and "paused" fourteen more pending review. Much talk followed about how long that 'pause' would last – with many confident we would see LGR reincarnated, and the government reach the same conclusion after following the correct process at a later date. [Government scraps council reorganisation in Suffolk and NorfolkThe 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.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/icon/ipswich-icon-718f089e-b743-4122-a6a3-9accbfe6627f.png)Ipswich.co.ukOliver Rouane-Williams![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/thumbnail/Hero-Image--64--45de5cc7-b4de-4c71-9172-0e9b97aa9af7.png)](https://www.ipswich.co.uk/government-scraps-council-reorganisation-in-suffolk-and-norfolk/) This isn't the case, according to Hadwen, who went on to say that, from his conversations with ministers, there is very little chance of LGR returning to the table in Suffolk before the next general election. He accepted that a future government could revisit it, but for the current Parliament, he is confident the county will enter the next general election in 2029 as a two-tier authority, maintaining its borough, district and county councils. ## Government to foot the bill Cllr Hadwen said the government will meet the full cost of Suffolk's judicial review, crucially at no expense to Suffolk taxpayers, and, to add insult to injury, will also repay Suffolk's six councils for all work undertaken on LGR to date – using money originally set aside to establish the new unitary authorities. This, in his eyes, amounts to a tacit acknowledgement of wrongdoing by the government, and a final nail in the LGR coffin. This marks a significant moment for Hadwen, who was relentlessly criticised by opposition group leaders for what they characterised as a gamble with public money on a legal challenge they believed had little chance of success. A gamble, it would appear, that has paid off. For a while now, we have understood that the council's legal challenge to LGR was expected to succeed, but the nature of the government's announcement, and the extent of the retreat, caught everyone – including Cllr Hadwen, it seems – off guard. He now, perhaps rightfully, feels vindicated in the decision to pursue the case, while acknowledging some "minor procedural issues" that resulted in a Section 5A notice being issued. The notice was issued earlier this July by the council's monitoring officer, who is, in effect, the council's solicitor, following complaints about the way Cllr Hadwen pursued the judicial review using his executive powers before the full cabinet had formally agreed to the action. 💡 A Section 5A report, issued under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, is triggered when a monitoring officer concludes that a breach of the law, or an act of maladministration, stems from a council's executive – its cabinet or leader – rather than the full council. It is reserved for the most serious cases, and its issuance has real teeth: the moment it lands with the executive, all further action on the decision in question is suspended. Pressed by Ipswich.co.uk, Cllr Hadwen said he intends to publish the legal advice that underpinned the judicial review, though not until the case has formally concluded. Ipswich.co.uk will cover this in more detail when Cllr Hadwen is minded to share it. ## A devolution deal 'within weeks' After the decision to scrap LGR, questions were raised about the impact on Suffolk and Norfolk's devolution schedule. Asked about his position on the matter, Cllr Hadwen argued that the collapse of reorganisation has, if anything, strengthened Suffolk's hand. Suffolk County Council and Norfolk County Council will now form a Combined County Authority (CCA), with an election for a new mayor expected in 2028\. Hadwen does not expect that timetable to change, and he confirmed that district council elections will go ahead next year. He told Ipswich.co.uk that Norfolk County Council is keen to get a deal over the line, and that discussions at last week's Reform UK party conference with leader Cllr David Bick had been very encouraging, with Norfolk keen to agree the terms of the deal as quickly as possible. Support our journalism ****Helping you** ***really** **understand Suffolk politics** From LGR's collapse to what comes next for Ipswich, we're the ones asking the hard questions of the people who run this county and surfacing unique insights you won't get anywhere else. £6 a month keeps us doing it. [Become a member today ](#/portal/signup) Cllr Hadwen said he remained instinctively opposed to unnecessary layers of local government, but described his approach as pragmatic, arguing the current devolution offer on the table provides "no protections for Suffolk residents". He said he and his team were working on a deal they would be prepared to sign, that was right for the county, and intend to send it to Norfolk "within the next couple of weeks". A level playing field with Norfolk was crucial, he said, stressing that any deal must work for our county first. Views on Michael Hadwen's leadership to date are mixed, but Reform UK has clearly entrusted him to lead Norfolk and Suffolk's devolution negotiations, which is interesting in itself. He said he intends to take the proposal to all prospective mayoral candidates and ask them to back it, as part of his commitment to prioritising the region's interests over party politics, in the coming weeks. ## Constitutional changes afoot When discussing how the LGR process and subsequent judicial review had played out in the chamber, Hadwen criticised opposition leaders, who, in his eyes, had "made a rod for their own back" by directing criticism not just at him personally, but at council officers, too. He believes opposition councillors have sought to influence officers in ways designed to undermine his leadership and administration, and that he was now exploring changes to the council's constitution to prevent that from happening again. Something we shall undoubtedly revisit in much more detail. ## 'A totally different side of me' A lot of the criticism directed at Cllr Hadwen during the LGR battle, he says, came from those who accused him of being "anti-Ipswich" – of pursuing a settlement that served him and his administration over the county, and at the expense of our town. He strongly rejects that characterisation. He made it clear he is not anti-Ipswich, but was rather specifically opposed to Felixstowe and Ipswich being placed into the same unitary authority under the government's three-unitary model. He makes no attempt to mask his loyalty to his hometown, describing himself as "a Felixstowe boy," elected in the first instance to protect his town. With that "fight" now over, he said his attention would turn to what he called "Ipswich's problems" – telling Ipswich.co.uk that people in the town would now see "a totally different side of him." As a marker of that shift, Cllr Hadwen pointed to his relationship with Ipswich's MP, Jack Abbott, a vocal supporter of the three-unitary model and a long-time campaigner for an Ipswich bypass. Despite their differences over LGR, Cllr Hadwen said he has committed to working with Abbott on tackling Ipswich's congestion challenges as part of a broader infrastructure agenda that will be kicked off with the unveiling of the council's much-anticipated cabinet paper next week. ## The bottom line Michael Hadwen has emerged from Suffolk's reorganisation battle believing he has been both victorious and vindicated. The government attributed its reversal to a national legal review rather than the specific merits of Suffolk's case, but what is clearer today than it was two days ago is that, in the eyes of the council's leader, this is much more than a pause of LGR – Suffolk will almost certainly enter the next general election as a two-tier county, and 2028 will almost certainly see a new mayor elected for a Combined County Authority of Suffolk and Norfolk. Locally, Hadwen has staked his credibility on a promise that our town will see a different side of him, but his and his administration's actions will define whether that commitment is genuine or just a rhetorical reset. Ipswich.co.uk shall be there to report it either way. 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