Meeting Details

Members are invited to a Meeting of the Full Council

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

on Wednesday, 25 March 2026 at 6:30 PM

 

This meeting will be broadcast to the public via the East Suffolk YouTube Channel at https://youtube.com/live/FEQKc7YiIMo

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.

To agree as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 25 February 2026.

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

The following questions from Members have been submitted in pursuance of paragraph 29.4 of the Council Procedure Rules:



1. Question from Councillor Byatt, Leader of the Labour Group to Councillor Caroline Topping, Leader of the Council.

East Suffolk Council has Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with providers of key services from organisations defined as being from the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. 

These SLAs are written agreements that explain responsibilities and state the expected levels of service, quality standards, performance metrics etc. The SLA will likely include a monitoring and reporting element throughout its duration. This would be a tailored, defined process for reviewing performance against agreed targets over time. For us, in the public sector, these agreements ensure taxpayer money is spent appropriately, and the organisations provide good value.

As part of this Council’s risk management function, what process do we have in place to monitor and review the performance of our service providers with SLAs from the VCSE sector, and does this include liaison with Trustees, oversight of the organisation’s financial situation, visits to the places where they operate or interviews with service users?



2. Question from Councillor Jepson, Leader of the Conservatives to The Chair, Councillor Dr Speca. 

Part of my speech at the last Full Council meeting was to encourage and motivate all Councillors to be prepared, to understand the papers and to challenge the Administration whether positively or constructively.


It was distracting that when Cllr Mallinder and I spoke that messages through the GLI private Teams Group increased significantly. I did not witness that same level of debate on what were important papers.

Would the Chair agree with me that private messaging at Full Council should be kept to a minimum and that all Councillors should concentrate on open and transparent debate, rather than negative and potentially cynical communication which does not respect the ‘Debate not Hate’ policy we endorsed at Full Council?

Could the Chair also remind Council what the role of the opposition is, so there is not doubt that when we challenge, why we do?



3. Question from Councillor Mallinder to Councillor Sally Noble, Cabinet Member with responsibility for The Environment

When I was cabinet member for the Environment, I spent time working with villages in dealing with bins on pavements and worked hard to keep our footpaths clear for all our users. 

In particular, I worked with the town councils in Southwold and Aldeburgh to try and bring order to our bins.

That said with the upcoming changes to waste collection methods in 2026, especially with reference to the increase in the number of bins, what steps are the council taking to ensure these operational changes do not negatively impact the visual heritage and neatness of our towns and villages? 

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 motion has been received from East Suffolk Youth Council in pursuance of paragraph 31.2 of the Council procedure rules:

 

This council notes:

1) As of 2028, all district and borough councils in Suffolk will be replaced by new unitary authorities; current proposals would establish one or three.

 

2) The future of the East Suffolk Youth Council (ESYC) is in doubt due to this local-government reorganisation, as it exists as a part of East Suffolk Council (ESC).

 

3) The democratic powers of ESYC are one-of-a-kind in England, and perhaps the UK, due to the amended ESC Constitution, which provides robust connections to ESC and capacity to influence the ESC agenda.

 

This council resolves to:

 

1) Declare our support for the ‘Three Councils for Suffolk’ proposal for the new unitary authorities, and our opposition to the ‘One Suffolk’ proposal on the grounds that there will be greater opportunity for youth representation and voice across Suffolk under three unitary authorities.

 

This council calls on East Suffolk Council to:

 

2) Demonstrate its support of the ESYC by calling for a successor Youth Council to be established by the unitary authority succeeding ESC. 

 

3) Engage the ESYC in the work of the Local Government Reform Working Group on youth matters, and to suggest ideas for a future Youth Council under the unitary authority succeeding ESC.

 

4) Prepare, for the unitary authority succeeding ESC, a briefing paper on a successor Youth Council, which includes:

a) Background on the structure of ESYC, its main functions and its successes.

b) A strong proposal that the Constitution of the new unitary authority should provide any successor Youth Council with the same robust connection to the new unitary authority, and capacity to influence the new unitary authority’s agenda, as ESYC currently holds.

 

5) Involve the ESYC in the preparation of the briefing paper above, including seeking approval from the ESYC on its contents, ideally before the current ESYC term ends in September 2026.

The following Motions have been submitted in pursuance of paragraph 31.1 Council Procedure Rules:

 

Motion 1

 

 Proposer: Councillor David Beavan

 Seconder: Councillor Mark Jepson

 

 This Council notes that:

 

•  Our stock is past its prime. ‘More than 65% of our homes are over 50 years old with fewer than 3% being less than 20 years old.’  These older buildings become more expensive to maintain and harder to retrofit to modern standards. St Peters Court is an example where demolition was the only sensible answer.
•  East Suffolk Council faces eight figure cost pressures to remediate regulatory compliance lapses, meet a requirement for EPC C on all stock by 2030, address a repair backlog and finance a loss-making legacy project.
• Although welcome, the curtailment of right to buy by the present government means a loss of sale receipts to finance new building.
• Whilst the new 10-year rent settlement helps in the longer term, it doesn’t provide the cash injection that is required immediately. 
• All reserves are fully utilised, and we are borrowing near to our prudent council limit of £130m. There is no money to respond to the government’s launch this month of the £39bn affordable housing grants.
• On top of this we are required to pay the Treasury £10m this year for our self-financing agreement from 2012.
• At the present rate, the HRA will atrophy and go bust by 2050. Older homes mean higher costs, means less spare margin for new build, means older homes, and so on.
• The only solution is a radical and urgent injection of capital to boost the HRA into an upward spiral of more homes, younger stock, greater margins, and yet more homes.
• The government is offering 25 year 0.1% loans to private registered providers.

East Suffolk Council resolves to:

•  Continue to lobby government to extend these 25 year 0.1% loans to local councils to enable them to protect their communities by ensuring the viability of social housing stock.
• Leverage the building of 500 social homes in the next 5 years to save East Suffolk Council’s HRA, contingent on the extension of the government’s 25 year 0.1% loans to East Suffolk Council’s HRA, subject to business case.

 

Motion 2

 

 Proposer: Councillor Peter Byatt

 Seconder: Councillor Tess Gandy

 

 This Council notes that: 

 East Suffolk Council continues to recognise the need for an effective Flood Barrier for Lowestoft, given that Lowestoft is the only major UK town without appropriate permanent defences against the sea.

 

 The lack of a Flood Barrier not only continues to put at a risk a significant number of homes and businesses around Lake Lothing, and beyond, but also adversely affects the development of Kirkley Waterfront, preventing the provision of much -needed affordable and social housing.

 

 Whilst recognising that funding is a major hindrance to a Flood Barrier, this Council is keen to find a solution.

 

 East Suffolk Council resolves to: 

•  Investigate the possibility of a public-private partnership to develop new funding proposals for a barrier.

Report of the Leader of the Council 

Report of the Leader of the Council

Report of the Leader of the Council 

Report of the Cabinet Member with responsibility for The Environment 

Report of the Leader of the Council 

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 Paragraphs 2 and 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).