News
Suffolk's longest riverside walk is now fully open
Walkers can now complete the entire 17-mile Gipping Valley River Path between Stowmarket and Ipswich, after repair works reopened the final closed sections.
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk
Long Reads
Who kicked the dogs out...but let Waffles in?
Emotional support animals and pets have been banned from Suffolk County Council's offices, but just five days earlier, its leader's dog, Waffles, was given a pass and his own office sign. Ipswich.co.uk sniffs out the paper trail and puts the questions to the council's top dog...and his owner.
Opinion
Meet the new boss – 'remarkably like the old boss'
'The Insider' has spent years inside Suffolk's corridors of power. Anonymous by necessity, unsparing by choice. In his first piece, he opines about the first 100-ish days of the Reform administration at Suffolk County Council.
News
Council's 'exciting' £875k creative hub stuck at square one three years on
Ipswich Borough Council was awarded £875,000 in September 2023 to deliver a creative hub – leader Neil MacDonald called it an "exciting initiative." Three years on, the council got as far as agreeing heads of terms with a tenant – but no lease was ever signed, and no plan has replaced it.
Long Reads
Suffolk County Council watchdog marks own homework, then decides it can wait
Suffolk County Council's monitoring officer found two breaches of law in a process he was part of. He then decided for himself how serious they were, and that the consequences could wait. A leaked report confirms the breaches, but does nothing to explain the delay.
News
Council reveals 'exciting' £5m plan to revive 'proper landmark' Paul's Silo
Ipswich Borough Council has appointed a development partner to draw up plans for the western gateway to the waterfront, covering Paul's Silo, the former Burtons building and St Peter's Dock car park.
Long Reads
Is Suffolk County Council stalling its own watchdog to save its court fight over local government reorganisation?
A Section 5A report is one of the most serious sanctions available in English local government – and one is heading Suffolk County Council's way. Rather than being issued at pace, as convention demands, it appears set to wait until the council's October cabinet meeting. We ask why.
Long Reads
Fire sale fears as Suffolk County Council's leader says he has 'no interest in handing down anything to the new unitaries'
Suffolk County Council's Reform UK leader, Michael Hadwen, is exploring selling off the council's wholly owned companies before power is handed to three new unitary authorities, a recording of a private meeting has revealed, sparking outrage from opposition leaders.
News
Council rejects challenges over decision to take Government to court over reorganisation
Suffolk County Council has rejected four opposition challenges to how it decided to pursue legal action against the Government over local government reorganisation (LGR), but has declined to publish its reasoning or comment further on the decision.
News
Fancy leading a walk? Suffolk scheme needs volunteers
Feel Good Suffolk is appealing for new volunteer walk leaders to run wellbeing walks in and around Ipswich, as part of a county-wide scheme that already sees more than 1,000 people take part every month.
Long Reads
Meet EV Sheeran – the car made to be shared by Ipswich
With insurance, servicing and charging bundled in, Suffolk's electric community vehicles are betting shared cars can replace a family's second car, or even the first, easing congestion across Ipswich. We spent an afternoon riding along in EV Sheeran to find out more.
News
Ipswich library to get first refurb in 40 years
Ipswich County Library is set for an almost £900,000 transformation – its first major refurbishment in more than four decades – with work expected to start towards the end of 2026.