Meeting Details

Vice Chair of the Council, Councillor John Fisher, sought nominations for the Chair of the Council for the 2025/26 Municipal Year. 
 
On the proposition of Councillor Topping, seconded by Councillor Whitelock, Councillor Speca was nominated as Chair of the Council. 

On the proposition of Councillor Deacon, seconded by Councillor Jepson, Councillor Pitchers was nominated as Chair of the Council.

Mr Bing, Monitoring Officer, advised that there were 45 Councillors present and that a Recorded Vote would be taken for the election of the Chair and the results of this are below:

For Councillor Speca (24 votes)
Councillors Ashton, Bennett, Candy, Clery, Daly, Ewart, Fisher, Grey, Hammond, Keys-Holloway, Langdon-Morris, Leach, Molyneux, Noble, Packard, Plummer, Reeves, Smith-Lyte, Speca, Thompson, Topping, Wakeling, Whitelock and Wilson.
 
For Councillor Pitchers (21 votes)
Councillors Ashdown, Back, Cawley, Craig, Deacon, Folley, Gee, Gooch, Green, Hedgley, Jepson, King, Lawson, Mallinder, Parker, Patience, Pitchers, Smith, Robinson, Scrancher and Smithson.
 
RESOLVED
 
That Councillor Speca be elected as Chair of East Suffolk Council for the 2025/26 municipal year. 
 
The newly elected Chair then signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office form and was duly invested with the Ribbon of Office.

Councillor Speca, newly elected Chair of the Council, sought nominations for the Vice-Chair of the Council for the 2025/26 Municipal Year. 
 
On the proposition of Councillor Folley, seconded by Councillor Ashdown, Councillor Pitchers was nominated as Vice-Chair of the Council. 

On the proposition of Councillor Whitelock, seconded by Councillor Hammond, Councillor Fisher was nominated as Vice-Chair of the Council.
 
Mr Bing, Monitoring Officer, advised that there were 45 Councillors present and that a Recorded Vote would be taken for the election of the Vice Chair and the results of this are below:

For Councillor Speca (24 votes)
Councillors Ashton, Bennett, Candy, Clery, Daly, Ewart, Fisher, Grey, Hammond, Keys-Holloway, Langdon-Morris, Leach, Molyneux, Noble, Packard, Plummer, Reeves, Smith-Lyte, Speca, Thompson, Topping, Wakeling, Whitelock and Wilson.

For Councillor Pitchers (21 votes)
Councillors Ashdown, Back, Cawley, Craig, Deacon, Folley, Gee, Gooch, Green, Hedgley, Jepson, King, Lawson, Mallinder, Parker, Patience, Pitchers, Smith, Robinson, Scrancher and Smithson.

RESOLVED
 
That Councillor Fisher be elected as Vice-Chair of East Suffolk Council for the 2025/26 municipal year. 
 
The newly elected Vice Chair then signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office form and was duly invested with the Ribbon of Office.

Councillor Speca thanked Members for their nominations and support.  He was grateful to have been entrusted with the role for another year and he would continue to be impartial. 

Councillor Dr Speca had attended following events since the last Full Council meeting:

28 April - East Suffolk Youth Council meeting on Teams
2 May - Mayor of Southwold’s Charity Concert at St Edmunds Church
8 May - Choral Evensong to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day at St Edmundsbury Cathedral 
 
21 March - Councillor Reeves attended the SSAFA Suffolk Branch AGM on 21 March 2025 at the Community Centre in Needham Market on behalf of the Council as the Armed Forces Champion
9 May - Councillor Hammond attended the formal opening of Bungay Community Library’s new foyer on behalf of the Council.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Beavan, Byatt, Ceresa, Gandy, Lynch, McCallum, Ninnmey, Rumble and Starling. 
 
Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Graham.

Vice Chair

Councillor Fisher thanked Members for his re-election. 

Councillor Fisher had attended following events since the last Full Council meeting:

23 March - Suffolk Justice Service Choral Evensong at St Edmundsbury Cathedral
12 April - Ugadi Event (Hindu New Year) at Kesgrave War Memorial Community Centre
15 April - Leiston Cum Sizewell Town Council Mayors 2025 Reception at Leiston Community Centre
23 April - Mayor of Sudbury’s Charity Dinner at Lydias Turkish Restaurant in Sudbury
24 April - Suffolk Agricultural Association’s School Farm and Country Fair at Trinity Park
1 May - Babergh Chair’s Civic Dinner at the Great House in Lavenham
7 May - Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace
18 May - Global Food and Pita Festival at Suffolk New College
 
The Leader

There were no announcements.
 
Cabinet Members
 
Councillor Whitelock, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Communities, Culture, Leisure and Tourism, provided an update on her Leisure portfolio.  She reported that leisure centres accounted for 40% of East Suffolk Council’s carbon footprint and decarbonisation was key to meeting the net zero targets.  3 funding applications had been made in November 2024 to the Public Sector Decarbonisation funding scheme.  

Councillor Whitelock was delighted to report that the funding bids had been successful and that Leiston, Water Lane and Deben Leisure Centres would receive funding.  Work would start later this year on installing heat pumps, insulation and solar panels.
 
Chief Executive
 
There were no announcements.

The Leader, Councillor Topping, introduced report ES/2385 which related to Political Balance and the allocation of seats on Committees for 2025/26.
 
Membership of the Committees and Sub-Committees of East Suffolk Council was determined under the terms of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990. 

Those provisions require the Authority to review the representation of political groups and individuals on the Committees, Sub-Committees, and other appropriate bodies to ensure that the seats on Committees were allocated by Group Leaders in proportion to the political groups’ membership of the Council. 

The report contained recommendations on the allocation of seats on the Council’s Committees and Sub-Committees, reviewed to reflect the Council’s political balance. The number of Green Members on the Council was 16, there were 15 Conservative Members, 12 Labour Members, 10 Liberal Democrat Members and 2 Independent Members. The Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent Members had formed a coalition, called the GLI. There were currently no vacancies on the Council. 

It was reported that since the meeting papers were published, Councillor Ewart had resigned from the Liberal Democrats and had become an Independent Councillor, however, she would remain within the GLI Group.

The Leader proposed the recommendations within the report, alongside an amendment that there would be no named Vice Chair for Planning Committee North. This position would be appointed to outside the meeting.  Councillor Ashton seconded the recommendations and the amendment.
 
Councillor Ashdown proposed that Councillor Ewart should stand down from Planning Committee North for a year, to allow the Committee to settle down.  This was seconded by Councillor Pitchers who reserved his right to speak.  Councillor Speca invited Members to debate this amendment.
 
Councillor Ewart stated that standing down from her own party was a big deal and she was disappointed that she had felt it necessary in order to support her local residents.  The past 3 months had been very difficult for the Members of Planning Committee North, however, she felt that her attention to detail and diligence was important for democracy so she wished to continue on the Committee.
 
Councillor Pitchers stated that he had been a member of the Planning Committee North and other Planning Committees for many years and things had got very heated during the recent meetings.  He felt that it was in the best interests of the Committee for Councillor Ewart to stand down, to allow feelings to calm down.  A successor could be nominated to take her place for a year, however, he felt her staying on the Committee was not appropriate at this time.
 
Councillor Ashdown stated that he agreed with Councillor Pitchers and the Committee needed some time to recover and settle down.
 
Councillor Speca reminded Members of Debate not Hate and it was the right of the Opposition to criticise the decisions of the Administration whilst remaining professional.  He thanked Councillors Ashdown, Pitchers and Ewart for presenting their cases.  
 
Upon being put to the vote, the amendment for Councillor Ewart to stand down from Planning Committee North FELL.
 
There being no further debate or questions, the proposition of the Leader was put to the vote, including the amendment that the Vice Chair position on Planning Committee North would remain vacant and it was
 
RESOLVED
 
1. That, with effect from 19 May 2025, in order to meet statutory requirements, seats on Committees and Sub-Committees of the Council be allocated in accordance with the contents of this report and Appendix A, with the position of Vice Chair on Planning Committee North being filled outside the meeting.

2. That the Leader be granted Delegated Authority to make any necessary changes to the membership of the Committees for the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year, in consultation with the other Group Leaders. 
 
N.B.  Councillor Graham arrived during the discussions on this item at 18.50pm.

The Leader, Councillor Topping, introduced report ES/2386 which related to Appointments to Working Groups.  Working Groups were set up to examine specific issues in-depth prior to recommendations being put forward to the relevant decision-making body.  

The Council appointed to a number of Working Groups each year as part of its corporate governance framework and in support of the democratic process and decision-making arrangements.  The Working Groups have clear terms of reference outlining their roles, responsibilities and reporting mechanisms, thereby increasing openness, transparency and making the best use of resources.
 
Following nominations received from Group Leaders, and following discussion between Group Leaders, Appendix A to the report was presented to members for consideration. 

Councillor Topping moved the recommendations within the report and was duly seconded by Councillor Ashton.

There were no questions or debate and it was therefore
 
RESOLVED

1. That the membership of Working Groups for the 2025/26 Municipal Year, as agreed by the Political Group Leaders and detailed at Appendix A, be appointed.

2. That the Leader of the Council be granted Delegated Authority to make any necessary changes to the membership of the Working Groups for the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year, in consultation with the other Group Leaders.

The Leader, Councillor Topping, introduced report ES/2384 which related to the Appointments to Outside Bodies for 2025/26 (Non-Executive). The Council was asked to consider Appointments to Outside Bodies (Non-Executive) for the 2025/26 Municipal Year, as outlined at Appendix A of the report which had been considered by the Group Leaders. 

The Council appoints annually to a wide range of diverse outside bodies; some appointments were made because of a statutory requirement to appoint one or more members to them; most appointments are discretionary taking into consideration how representation adds value. 
 
Appointment of Members provided support to the organisation concerned and enabled members to fulfil their community leadership roles. Members appointed were able to work with and alongside local community groups, helping to empower them in terms of addressing local issues and delivering sustainable solutions. 

Councillor Topping proposed two amendments to Appendix A.  Councillor Smith-Lyte would replace Councillor Daly on the Suffolk Police and Crime Panel.  Councillor Langdon-Morris would replace Councillor Ashton on the Anglia Revenues & Benefits Partnership Joint Committee (ARP).
 
Councillor Topping thanked the Group Leaders for their support for these appointments and moved the recommendations and her amendments.  These were duly seconded by Councillor Ashton.  Upon being put to the vote it was
 
RESOLVED
 
1. That Councillors be appointed to those Outside Bodies (Non-Executive) listed in Appendix A for the 2025/26 Municipal Year, with the amendments proposed by Councillor Topping during the meeting.

2.     That the Leader of the Council be authorised to fill any outstanding vacancies left unfilled by Council.

3.     That the Leader be granted delegated authority to make any necessary changes to the membership of the Outside Bodies for the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year, in consultation with the other Group Leaders.

The Leader, Councillor Topping, presented report ES/2387 to consider the recruitment of two suitably experienced individuals as Independent Members of the Audit and Governance Committee, which was considered best practice by the CIPFA Position Statement on Audit Committees, National Audit Office and Redmond Review.

Recruiting two Independent Members would demonstrate East Suffolk Council’s commitment to best practice in overseeing governance, risk management, internal control, financial management, financial reporting and internal audit. It would also introduce independent membership to the Committee before the government legislates to do so.

Recruitment of an Independent Member had the following advantages:

• To supplement the knowledge and experience of elected representatives in specific areas, such as audit or financial reporting.
• To provide continuity outside the political cycle. This is of particular importance where membership of the committee changes because of elections.
• To help achieve a non-political focus on governance, risk and control matters. 
• Having two co-opted members rather than one will allow recruitment of members with different but complementary knowledge and experience, increase the resilience and continuity of the committee.
 • Having two co-opted members shows a commitment to supporting and investing in the committee.
 
The Audit and Governance Committee had considered the best practice guidance during its March 2025 meeting and had recommended the appointments to Full Council.
 
Councillor Topping moved the recommendations within the report and was seconded by Councillor Grey.  There being no further discussion it was 
 
RESOLVED
 
1. That the best practice recommendation to appoint two Independent Members to the Audit and Governance Committee and the associated proposed amendment to the Audit and Governance Committee’s Terms of Reference as set out in Appendix A be approved; and

2. That delegated authority be granted to the Monitoring Officer to undertake the recruitment arrangements in consultation with the Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee.

The Chair, Councillor Speca, presented report ES/2388 which sought approval to adopt the revised ESC Constitution, following a thorough review by the Constitution Review Working Group (CRWG).

Councillor Speca reported that the CRWG was politically balanced and worked well together; they had never needed to take a vote, as issues had been discussed thoroughly and a way forward was found.  It was an excellent example of cross party working.   The Monitoring Officer would be able to make minor amendments to the Constitution if required and significant changes would need to be referred back to the CRWG.  The Constitution now used plain language and had been reduced in size significantly.  If approved, it would be published on the ESC website tomorrow.

Councillor Speca moved the recommendations within the report and was seconded by Councillor Jepson.

Members commended the CRWG for their hard work.  Councillor Speca also thanked the Officers who had been involved.  He was very proud of the Constitution, which could be used as a basis by future councils.  Upon being put to the vote it was unanimously
 
RESOLVED
 
1.     That the fully reviewed, revised and consolidated ESC Constitution, at Appendix A, as recommended by the cross-party Constitution Review Working Group, be adopted.

2.     That the Constitution at Appendix A will take effect and come into force from, and including, Tuesday 20 May 2025.

Councillor Packard, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning and Coastal Management, presented report ES/2391 which sought approval of the Carlton Colville Neighbourhood Plan.

Carlton Colville Town Council commenced work on the Neighbourhood Plan in June 2019 and after a number of years of hard work from the Parish Council and the local community, the Neighbourhood Plan successfully passed its referendum on the 15th May 2025. 642 people voted and 474 people voted ‘yes’.  
 
The Neighbourhood Plan had been built around wide engagement with the community and each had undergone several rounds of consultation. It contained a distinctive vision for Carlton Colville which responded to the matters which were important to the community. Policies and actions were set out in the plan to help achieve the vision. 
 
Officers at East Suffolk Council and the Broads Authority had provided support and guidance to the Town Council throughout the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan. 
 
The Neighbourhood Plan addressed the matters including: 
a) High quality design
b) Important views
c) Walking, cycling and public rights of way
d) Car parking
e) Biodiversity and wildlife
f) Dark skies
g) Influencing the design of a proposed country park. The country park is required
as part of a major development allocated in the local plan, including approximately 900 homes, a primary school and shops.


Councillor Packard moved the recommendation within the report and this was seconded by Councillor Smith, who reserved her right to speak.

Councillor Topping clarified that a small area of neighbouring parish of Gisleham, with the agreement of Gisleham Parish Council, was included within the Neighbourhood Plan.

There followed some discussion about whether Carlton Colville was a Parish or Town Council.  It was confirmed during the meeting that Carlton Colville was a Town Council and had gained Town Council status in 2011.

Councillor Smith thanked Carlton Colville Town Council for their hard work and encouraged those Parishes and Towns without a Neighbourhood Plan to commence work on one, as it protected the Town or Parish and could see an increase in CIL payments.

There being no further comments, it was
 
RESOLVED
 
That the Council ‘Make’ the Carlton Colville Neighbourhood Plan (Referendum Version, March 2025) part of the Statutory Development Plan for the part of the Neighbourhood Plan Area within East Suffolk, following a positive Referendum outcome.

Councillor Packard, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning and Coastal Management, introduced report ES/2400 which sought approval of Westerfield Neighbourhood Plan.

Westerfield Parish Council commenced work on the Neighbourhood Plan in September 2021 and after a number of years of hard work from the Parish Council and the local community, the Neighbourhood Plan successfully passed its referendum on the 15th May 2025. 260 people voted and 249 people voted ‘yes’.
 
The Neighbourhood Plan had been built around wide engagement with the community and each had undergone several rounds of consultation. It contained a distinctive vision for Westerfield which responded to the matters which were important to the community. Policies and actions were set out in the plan to help achieve the vision. 
 
Officers at East Suffolk Council had provided support and guidance to the Parish Council throughout the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan. 
 
The Neighbourhood Plan addressed the matters including: 
• Landscape protection
• Protection of important views
• Protection of natural features
• Local Green Spaces
• Design
• Artificial lighting
• Services and facilities
• Public rights of way
 
Councillor Packard moved the recommendation within the report and was seconded by Councillor Hedgley.

Councillor Hedgley commented that he was very happy to support the Neighbourhood Plan and he acknowledged the hard work that went into its creation and offered his congratulations.

Councillor Clery also offered his congratulations to Westerfield Parish Council and noted that 96% of residents had voted in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan.  He commented that there was a proposal for a large quarry within the area which could lead to noise, disturbance and increased vehicle movements and he hoped that the Neighbourhood Plan would assist the residents in future.

There being no further comments it was 
 
RESOLVED

That Council 'Make' the Westerfield Neighbourhood Plan (Referendum Version, March 2025) part of the statutory Development Plan for East Suffolk for the whole of the Westerfield Neighbourhood area.

The Leader, Councillor Topping, presented report ES/2393 which related to the temporary appointment to Sutton Heath Parish Council.  She reported that Sutton Heath Parish Council became inquorate in April 2025, and so cannot conduct any business, including co-opting members.  Two Parish Councillors remained, the quorum was three. 

Under the Local Government Act 1972, a district council can make temporary appointments to a Parish Council in its area which has become inquorate to make it quorate again. 

Mr Rob Hadley currently resides in the parish and had offered to be appointed to the Parish Council.  Full Council was asked to approve the making of an Order to temporarily appoint Mr Hadley a member of Sutton Heath Parish Council until an election has been held, or a new Councillor has been co-opted onto the Parish Council, whereupon this temporary appointment shall cease.

Councillor Topping thanked Councillor Mallinder for his hard work assisting the Parish Council.

Councillor Topping moved the recommendation within the report and was seconded by Councillor Mallinder.

Councillor Mallinder stated he had been saddened that the Parish Council had become inquorate and he was happy to offer support to get it running again.

Upon being put to the vote it was 

RESOLVED

That the making of an Order, under Section 91 of the Local Government Act 1972 be approved, to appoint Mr Rob Hadley as a member of Sutton Heath Parish Council until an election has been held, or a new Councillor(s) have been co-opted onto the Parish Council, whereupon this temporary appointment shall cease.

Full Council received report ES/2394 which was presented by Councillor Topping, Leader of the Council, and provided individual Cabinet Members' reports of their areas of responsibility, as well as reports from those Members appointed to represent East Suffolk Council on Outside Bodies. The Leader stated that the written reports could be taken as read and she invited relevant questions on their contents.
 
Councillor Jepson stated he was delighted that a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) would come into effect in Felixstowe from 1 July 2025.  He asked how long the TRO would be in place and had an alternative car park for motorhomes to stay in?

Councillor Wilson invited Mr Blair, Strategic Director, to say a few words.  Mr Blair reported that the TRO would last for 18 - 24 months and the effects of the TRO would be reviewed and evaluated over time.  Carparks were still being assessed for their suitability and a decision on which would be suitable for motorhomes would be taken in due course.
 
Councillor Robinson queried the figure on page 389, as it stated that there were 3 Hackney Carriages in the district.  The Monitoring Officer clarified that this was a typo. The correct number, 53, was shared by the Monitoring Officer later in the meeting.

Councillor Folley referenced the allocation of £35,344 of funding which was for helping victims of domestic abuse.  She asked how those funds were being used, as there were a number of domestic violence victims in Felixstowe waiting for help and that money would not last very long.  

Councillor Wilson reported that the programme was part of some SCC funding, which had been due to end and had been extended.  Further information would be provided outside of the meeting.
 
Councillor Smithson referenced the Accommodation Working Group and asked if they had discussed the impact of Sizewell C on local residents and tourists, specifically how many had been priced out of the area.  She also queried the impact on longstanding, established events and local businesses.

Councillor Whitelock reported that the Sizewell C Working Group had been looking at this and acknowledged that finding accommodation for the 1500 workers was proving to be difficult.  However, there did appear to be rental properties available and many second homes were now subject to double Council Tax, which had encouraged some owners to rent them out.  

Councillor Smithson stated that there several prestigious events and festivals that brought in a lot of money for the area and she was concerned that tourists may not attend due to the difficulty in finding accommodation and the increase in costs and traffic.  Councillor Whitelock stated that there was a fund of £12 million to support the local area, that officers would be administering which could help mitigate any issues that affected the events.
 
Councillor Deacon asked how many beach huts had been sold in Felixstowe and at the Eastern Edge in Lowestoft?  Councillor Ashton reported that the beach huts had a significant impact upon the seafront economy and it was important that they were sold or let as much as possible.  New websites had been created for the Lowestoft and Felixstowe beach huts, which enabled booking by the day or week.  When visiting the Lowestoft website, there was little availability at this time, which was very positive and the management of the huts and the offering would be reviewed in due course.  Further information about the number sold and occupancy levels would be circulated outside of the meeting.   

Councillor King advised that he had booked a beach hut in Lowestoft recently and he had only been able to book for a week, rather than a day, out of season.  It was, however, possible to book for just a day during the peak summer season.  He suggested reforming the booking system for the off peak months may be beneficial. 
 
Councillor Ashton later confirmed that bookings for the Eastern Edge beach huts had increased from 5% to 70% capacity, following the creation of the booking website and he hoped that with additional work that would increase even further.

Councillor Mallinder noted the 125,000 new plastic wheelie bins and the waste trucks that had been purchased.   He asked how they would help support the Council's reduction in its carbon footprint?  Councillor Noble stated that it was important to have modern vehicles in the Council's fleet, some were electric and others would be converted to fully electric.  Mr Blair advised that all of the parking vehicles were now electric, the 18 vehicles that would be collecting food waste would run on HVO fuel, which meant that the entire heavy goods fleet would be running on HVO by the time the new waste system was introduced.
 
Councillor King asked about the 17 middle layer super output areas in East Suffolk and whether confirmation could be provided about the size of those neighbourhoods.  Would it be 600 homes, with 1500 residents and where would they be located?  Could before and after statistics be provided about the success of this scheme?  Councillor Whitelock stated that she did not have the details to hand and would provide the information outside of the meeting.  
 
Councillor Smith asked if an update could be provided on Community Partnerships at the next Full Council meeting?  Councillor Whitelock confirmed that an update would be provided.  She also stated that a full review of the Community Partnerships had been completed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 22 April 2025 and the recommendations from that meeting would be circulated after the meeting.

On the proposition of Councillor Speca, seconded by Councillor Fisher it was unanimously

RESOLVED

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.