East coast ‘super district’ moves a step closer after Waveney and Suffolk Coastal cabinets vote for merger vision

The new East Suffolk Council could become the largest district in the entire country if the full councils at Waveney and Suffolk Coastal agree to ratify the change at their meetings later this week.

A simultaneous meeting of the authorities’ cabinets heard that joining the two organisations could save about £800,000 per year across the two areas. This, it was argued, is crucial at a time when the revenue support grant – the money councils get from the government – is being largely phased out.

A business case for the move also argued that one larger council would have more clout than two smaller ones, able to be taken more seriously at national level and gain extra funding for the area. Waveney and Suffolk Coastal already share the majority of their staff, including a chief executive – which they say has helped win money for flood defences and transport projects, like the long-awaited Lowestoft third crossing. But the cabinet meeting at Suffolk Coastal’s Woodbridge headquarters also heard that while about 80 per cent of those surveyed in a public consultation support the move, there are still some concerns. Labour opposition councillors such as Sonia Barker have complained that decisions about Lowestoft could be taken by councillors in Felixstowe, and vice versa.

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