From April 2028 unitary councils will replace the county council, district and borough councils in Suffolk.
This is happening due to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). The Future Suffolk website was set up to make this process easier to understand.
The 3 new unitary councils have provisionally been called:
- Central and East Suffolk
- Ipswich and South Suffolk
- West Suffolk
You can find out which of these unitary councils will provide your local services from April 2028 using the map below, which also includes provisional ward boundaries.
Find your council using a postcode
You can enter your postcode in the tool below to view:
- your current district or borough council
- your future unitary council (from April 2028)
When entering your postcode please include a space, for example IP1 2DA not IP12DA.
How were the new council boundaries chosen?
As part of the LGR process, the government asked councils to propose new boundaries. These had to cover sensible geographic and economic areas that residents could identify with.
The proposed councils also had to be the right size to be efficient, financially resilient and provide effective public services.
The resulting council boundaries mean that each of the new unitary councils in Suffolk:
- has a population of roughly 257,000 - 269,000
- will serve a distinct and recognisable part of the county
- will be able to deliver better services, tailored to meet local needs
- retain a significant level of democratic representation to ensure a strong connection with communities
- are able to make savings by cutting 6 councils down to 3
New councillors and wards
Each of the 3 new unitary councils in Suffolk will have the following councillors and wards:
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Central and East Suffolk Council will have 65 councillors and 51 wards (the 14 largest wards will be served by 2 councillors)
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Ipswich and South Suffolk will have 64 councillors and 40 wards (the 24 largest wards will be served by 2 councillors)
-
West Suffolk Council will have 66 councillors and 50 wards (the 16 largest wards will be served by 2 councillors)
You can access a full-screen version of the unitary council and ward boundaries map below.
Following the first elections to the new councils in May 2027, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England will review the councillor numbers and wards before any subsequent elections. This will involve public consultation and means there will be scope for changes.