Ipswich Borough Council

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Ipswich Borough Council
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Type
Type
Leadership
Stefan Long,
Labour
since 14 May 2025[1]
Neil MacDonald,
Labour
since 17 May 2023
Helen Pluck
since January 2023[2]
Structure
Seats48 seats
Political groups
Administration (38)
  Labour (38)
Other Parties (10)
  Conservative (6)
  Liberal Democrats (3)
  Independent (1)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2024
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Town Hall, Cornhill, Ipswich, IP1 1DH
Website
www.ipswich.gov.uk

Ipswich Borough Council is the local authority for Ipswich, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Suffolk, England. It is the second tier of a two-tier system, fulfilling functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning, with Suffolk County Council providing county council services such as transport, education and social services.

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2011. It meets at Ipswich Town Hall and has its main offices at Grafton House.

History

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Main article: Ipswich Corporation

Ipswich was an ancient borough. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was described as having burgesses, implying some form of borough status.[3] The town's first known charter was issued by King John in 1200.[4][5]

The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which reorganised many boroughs across the country to a standardised model.[6] It was then governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Ipswich", also known variously as the corporation, town council or borough council.[7][8][9] When elected county councils were established in 1889, Ipswich was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from the surrounding East Suffolk County Council.[10]

The borough was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, becoming a lower-tier district authority with the new Suffolk County Council providing county-level functions. Ipswich kept the same boundaries at the time of the 1974 reforms and also retained its borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Ipswich's series of mayors dating back to 1836.[11][12]

In 2007 the borough council bid to become a unitary authority, which would see it regain its independence from the county council.[13] The proposal was considered by the government, but was ultimately rejected.[14] Alternative options were then considered for introducing unitary authorities more generally across Suffolk, with a "North Haven" unitary authority covering Ipswich, Felixstowe and surrounding areas being the proposal recommended by the Boundary Committee in 2008.[15] The new government which formed following the 2010 general election decided not to proceed with creating any unitary authorities in Suffolk.[16]

Governance

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Ipswich Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Suffolk County Council.[17] There are no civil parishes in Ipswich; the entire borough is an unparished area.[18]

The council has divided the borough into five areas which each have their own committee and funding.[19]

Political control

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The council has been under Labour majority control since 2011.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:[20]

Party in control Years
Labour 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1979
Labour 1979–2004
No overall control 2004–2011
Labour 2011–present

Leadership

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See also: List of mayors of Ipswich Borough, Suffolk

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Ipswich. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1997 have been:

Councillor Party From To
Peter Gardiner[21][22] Labour 1997 15 Sep 2004
Dale Jackson[22][23] Conservative 15 Sep 2004 30 Mar 2005
Liz Harsant[23][24] Conservative 30 Mar 2005 May 2011
David Ellesmere[25][26] Labour 18 May 2011 17 May 2023
Neil MacDonald[27] Labour 17 May 2023

Composition

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Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:[28]

Party Councillors
Labour 38
Conservative 7
Liberal Democrats 3
Total 48

The next election is due in 2026.[29]

Premises

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Grafton House, 15-17 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2DE: Council's main offices since 2006

Full council meetings are generally held at Ipswich Town Hall on Cornhill.[30][31] The building had been completed in 1868 for the old corporation.[32]

Civic Centre: Council's main offices 1970–2006, since demolished.

Since 2006 the council's main offices have been at Grafton House, a modern office building on Russell Road. Prior to 2006 the council met at the Town Hall and had its main offices at the Civic Centre on Civic Drive, a 14-storey tower block completed in 1970.[33] The Civic Centre has since been demolished.[34]

Elections

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See also: Ipswich Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2002 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) being elected each time for a four-year term of office. Suffolk County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[35]

The borough is covered by two parliamentary constituencies: Ipswich, which covers about 75% and is represented by Conservative MP Tom Hunt, and Central Suffolk & North Ipswich, which covers the remaining 25% and is represented by Labour MP Dan Poulter.

Wards

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The Councillors representing the different wards are:

Ipswich Borough Council Wards[36]
Name Area Middle Layer Super Output Area Councillors, May 2024[37] (date elected)
Alexandra Central Ipswich 007 Adam Rae (2024)[38] John Cook (2022) Jane Riley (2023)
Bixley North East Ipswich 009 Lee Reynolds (2024) Edward Phillips (2022) Richard Pope (2023)
Bridge South West Ipswich 012 Bryony Rudkin (2024) Stephen Connolly (2022) Philip Smart (2023)
Castle Hill North West Ipswich 002 Ian Fisher (2024) Sam Murray (2022) Erion Xhaferaj (2023)
Gainsborough South East Ipswich 016 James Whatling (2024) Lynne Mortimer (2022) Martin Cook (2023)
Gipping South West Ipswich 010 David Ellesmere (2024) Elizabeth Hughes (2022) Peter Gardiner (2023)
Holywells South East Ipswich 011 Nic El-Safty(2024) George Lankester (2022) Cathy Frost (2023)
Priory Heath South East Ipswich 014 Roxanne Downes (2024) Owen Bartholomew(2024) Ruman Muhith (2023)
Rushmere North East Ipswich 004 Alasdair Ross (2024) Stefan Long (2022) Kelvin Cracknell (2023)
St John's North East Ipswich 008 Neil MacDonald (2024) Corinna Hudson (2024) Kanthasamy Elavalakan (2023)
St Margaret's Central Ipswich 005 Oliver Holmes (2024) Inga Lockington (2022) Timothy Lockington (2023)
Sprites South West Ipswich 013 Philip McSweeney (2024) Colin Smart (2022) Jennifer Smith (2023)
Stoke Park South West Ipswich 015 Chu Mann (2024) Tony Blacker (2022) Nathan Wilson (2023)
Westgate Central Ipswich 006 Carole Jones (2024) Colin Kreidewolf (2022) Julian Gibbs (2023)
Whitehouse North West Ipswich 003 Tracy Grant(2024) Colin Wright (2022) Lucinda Trenchard (2023)
Whitton North West Ipswich 001 Pat Bruce-Browne (2024) Christine Shaw (2022) Gary Forster (2023)

Heritage assets

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Ipswich Borough Council owns a substantial number of artworks which have been curated by the Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service since 2007.[39]

Arms

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Coat of arms of Ipswich Borough Council
Notes
Granted 29 August 1561.[40]
Crest
On a wreath Or and Gules a demi lion Or supporting a ship Sable.
Escutcheon
Per pale Gules and Azure in the first a lion rampant Gold armed and langued Azure in the second three demi boats of the third.
Supporters
Two horses of the sea commonly called Neptune's horses maned and fined Gold.

References

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