Councillor Neil MacDonald, a Labour representative for St John's Ward since 2000, leads Ipswich Borough Council.
2026 Local Elections in Ipswich
Neil MacDonald is standing for Labour and Co-operative Party in the St. John's ward at the Ipswich Borough Council elections on Thursday, 7 May. We sent every candidate the same five questions — here are Neil's answers, published in full and unedited.
News
A planning application has been submitted to transform the unused first floor of the former Grimwades building on Ipswich's Cornhill into an adult education suite, with the first students expected this September.
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Global fashion jewellery brand Lovisa has opened in the former Grimwades building on the Cornhill, becoming the second ground-floor tenant in the landmark property that sat empty for over a decade before the council acquired the building using Towns Fund money.
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Ipswich Borough Council has approved a £38 million aquatics centre as part of its £70 million four-year capital programme – but questions are already being raised about whether it will ever be built.
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Councillors have signed off a 2.99% council tax rise and £70m in town centre investment, but with the authority set to be abolished by 2028, opposition groups are questioning whether the promises can ever be delivered.
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Work has started on Ipswich Borough Council's Town Centre Greening project, which will introduce trees and planting across four streets between the town centre and waterfront.
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An undisclosed tenant will bring an empty town centre building back into use after the council agreed to invest £560,000 in the property, though details about both the building's location and the nature of the project have been kept confidential.
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Ipswich Borough Council is calling on street performers of all kinds to apply for the town's first-ever Street Performers Showcase, taking place on Saturday, 4 April 2026, with applications open until 6 March 2026.
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CLAY 1A, a new visitor attraction planned for Ipswich's waterfront, has been granted £2.28m from the Towns Fund alongside a £20m philanthropic gift to transform the historic Waterfront House into a creative community space.
Features
When the Government confirmed on 22 January that Suffolk's local elections would not go ahead in May, it marked the end of a contentious political battle that exposed deep divisions between councils and across communities about what democracy means in the midst of local government reform.
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Local elections in Suffolk have been officially cancelled by the Government – a decision that is likely to prove highly contentious amongst residents.
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Ipswich Borough Council will not take a position on a potential hotel tax, saying the decision should be left to the Norfolk-Suffolk combined authority mayor who will be elected in 2028.
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