Meeting Details

Members are invited to a Meeting of the Full Council

to be held in the Deben Conference Room, East Suffolk House, Melton

on Wednesday, 28 January 2026 at 6.30pm 

This meeting will be broadcast to the public via the East Suffolk YouTube Channel at https://youtube.com/live/fYEcZgfZ9hw?feature=share

To receive apologies for absence, if any.

Members and Officers are invited to make any declarations of interests, and the nature of that interest, that they may have in relation to items on the Agenda and are also reminded to make any declarations at any stage during the Meeting if it becomes apparent that this may be required when a particular item or issue is considered.

To receive any announcements from the Chair, the Leader of the Council, members of the Cabinet, or the Chief Executive, in accordance with paragraph 28.2 of the Council Procedure Rules.

No questions have been submitted by the electorate as provided by paragraph 29.1 of the Council Procedure Rules.

No questions from Members have been received as provided by paragraph 29.4 of the Council Procedure Rules.

The following Motion(s) has/have been submitted in pursuance of paragraph 31.1 Council Procedure Rules:

Protecting and Promoting Hare Populations in East Suffolk

 Proposer: Councillor James Mallinder
Seconder: Councillor Colin Hedgley

 This Council notes that:

•  Brown hares are an iconic species of the British countryside and a "Species of Principal Importance" under various environmental bodies. Hare populations in the UK have declined by an estimated 80% over the past century due to habitat loss, changes in agricultural practices, and illegal activities.
•  The protection of biodiversity is a core responsibility of local government, particularly considering the Council’s declared biodiversity and ecological emergency.
•  Thriving hare populations are an indicator of a healthy, well-managed rural landscape. Illegal hare coursing remains a significant issue in areas across East Suffolk, causing distress to rural residents, damage to farmers' crops/fences, and extreme cruelty to wildlife.
•  Supporting our local farming community in their efforts to deter illegal coursing is essential for both animal welfare and rural security.

This Council resolves to:

1.  Promote Biodiversity: Encourage the cabinet member for environment to work with local landowners and the wildlife groups to identify and protect key hare habitats within the district’s local plan and green infrastructure strategies.
2.  Support Law Enforcement: Write to the Police and Crime Commissioner to reaffirm the council's support for the National Wildlife Crime Unit and local rural crime teams in their use of legislation to prosecute coursers.
3.  Sustainable Farming: Encourage the use of the sustainable farming techniques among local farmers to create "hare-friendly" environments, such as field margins and winter cover.
4.  Public Awareness: Launch a seasonal "Protect Our Hares" campaign on council social media to educate residents on how to spot and safely report suspected hare coursing to the police.

No petitions have been received as provided by paragraph 30.1 of the Council Procedure Rules.

To receive any announcements or questions from the Chair or Vice Chair of the East Suffolk Youth Council in pursuance of paragraph 31.1 of the Council procedure rules.

The following motions have been received from East Suffolk Youth Council in pursuance of paragraph 31.2 of the Council procedure rules:

East Suffolk Youth Council Community and Cohesion Motion – December 2025

• This Council notes that:
  
  Prejudice, discrimination and hate crimes against people because of their age, gender, disability, race, religion, sex and or sexual orientation has become increasingly common in the past year across England, Suffolk and East Suffolk.
• There is a lack of clear information, including statistics, regarding gender identity and sexual orientation for people living or working in East Suffolk.
• The internet, especially social media, spreads misinformation about the nine protected characteristic groups as laid out by the Equality Act 2010.
• East Suffolk Council already remains committed to considering the needs of the nine protected characteristic groups identified in the Equality Act 2010, plus socio-economic disadvantage, which is a key concern in East Suffolk. It also is responsible for fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it.
• East Suffolk, compared to other districts, lacks diversity, with only 4.2% having a non-UK identity, and 96.2% being white.
• Immigrants help to fill useful gaps in UK public services such as the NHS. For example, more than 17% of NHS staff and 27% of nurses are from overseas. The NHS currently has 100,000+ vacancies, and immigrants and their families help to fill these gaps, contributing to the UK State.  Non-EEA (non-European Economic Area) immigrants, on average, contribute around £341,000 each to UK public finances.
• Meanwhile, at a time where there has been an increase in reported incidents of discriminatory behaviour, many local residents have expressed concerns with the appearance of flags in public spaces and are concerned about what might be the intended sentiment behind it. In other parts of the country this has led minority ethnic communities to feel intimidated and excluded.
• While patriotism is welcome, concerns remain around whether proper permissions were always obtained before flags were flown on public land, and around who will be responsible for maintaining the flags in good condition, removing any flags no longer fit to fly, and mitigating any environmental impacts.
• The four fundamental British values are democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.

East Suffolk Youth Council resolves to:

Write to Councillor Nadia Cenci, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Communities, and the Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, as Minister for Women and Equalities, to hear East Suffolk Youth Council’s perspective on the issues presented above, and to actively promote British values and a sense of unity.


East Suffolk Youth Council resolves to call on East Suffolk Council to:

•  Involve East Suffolk Youth Council in the current work to develop an East Suffolk Community Cohesion Action Plan, to ensure that the youth perspective is adequately represented.
• Consider including the following actions in the East Suffolk Community Cohesion Action plan:

1. Creating resources for students and staff in schools to educate people about microaggressions, derogatory language and how to confront discrimination to build constructive conversations around differing opinions.
2. Disseminating information widely about how to report hate crimes and hate incidents, and ensuring people feel safe to use these mechanisms and confident that they will be dealt with sensitively and effectively.
3. Promoting local positive stories about those who fall under one or more of the protected characteristic groups as laid out by the Equality Act 2010 in East Suffolk Council communications, particularly during times such as Pride Month, Black History Month and Windrush Day.
4. Sharing (with permission) the experiences of these community members with discrimination in order to promote underrepresented voices and encourage understanding.
5. Combatting online rhetoric with ‘mythbusting’ information to mitigate the impacts of misconceptions, stereotypes and fake news.
6. Promoting British Values wherever appropriate to cultivate a greater sense of togetherness and community cohesion across East Suffolk.
7. Working with a wide range of partners to deliver practical projects that build unity and celebrate diversity.

It is recommended 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.     

• Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

• Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).