January County Report
I hope you had a wonderful festive season and managed to find some time to relax. As we start 2025, it feels like a great chance to look ahead and focus on the things that matter most to our communities.
For those who have submitted applications for locality funding, you should hear from me in a matter of days, confirming whether your bid has been submitted to the powers that be, and I will be chasing for further details if needed.
Suffolk’s rural communities hit by loss of £3 million in Government funding
£3 million of vital public funding - designed to support rural communities in Suffolk - will be cut by the government next year, it has been revealed.
The funding, known as the Rural Services Grant (RSG), was introduced in 2016/17 to support councils who serve rural communities and sparsely populated areas where it costs significant amounts of money to deliver public services. Suffolk County Council will, from April 2024, no longer receive the grant. The government announced last week that the funding will be redirected elsewhere – adversely impacting rural areas like Suffolk.
Cllr Richard Smith MVO, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Economic Development and Skills, said:
“It is deeply disappointing that the government has once again made a decision that disproportionately harms rural areas.
“Delivering essential services, like bus services, social care and road maintenance, is inherently more expensive in county areas like Suffolk due to our sparse population. The decision to scrap this grant compounds the challenges we are facing already with the rising costs of services like adult and children’s care and home-to-school transport.
“Yet the government continues to overlook these realities, prioritising urban areas instead.
“It is becoming clear that any additional funding promised to support local authorities is to be undermined by cuts and additional costs elsewhere. This is a troubling pattern where supposed solutions offer no real relief and councils are faced with great financial uncertainty.
“I am concerned that the government's response to rising local government costs is to shift the burden onto residents, forcing councils to impose steep Council Tax increases to balance the books. This approach is both unsustainable and unfair to those in rural communities.”
Nationally, the Rural Services Grant is worth £110 million a year to rural communities. Other counties, including Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire and Northumberland have also spoken out about the removal of the rural grant.
Council calls on government to prevent scrapping of influential department
The CAA is intending to close down its Airfield Advisory Team.
Through its work on major infrastructure projects, officers at Suffolk County Council have learned that the team will not be available to provide advice to planning officers or planning inspectors after March 2025.
Suffolk County Council has written to Mike Kane MP, Minister of State for Aviation, to review the proposal.
The Airfield Advisory Team has been instrumental in helping to shape improvements to infrastructure projects and informing planning across Suffolk. This includes the proposed Norwich to Tilbury pylon project, as part of National Grid’s ‘Great Grid Upgrade’ and other proposed energy projects such as solar farms and wind turbines.
Without this team, it is anticipated that there will be no robust and effective advice to support the design and delivery of new infrastructure projects, and that this will compromise scrutiny of their design and delivery.
The impact of obstructions such as where pylons are placed or the glare from solar farms may also limit the commercial, strategic, and recreational operation of airfields across Suffolk and the rest of the country.
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, said:
"The effective and technical advice that we have received from the Airfield Advisory Team has been essential to a number of projects that we respond to, on behalf of Suffolk’s communities.
"As an example, they have directly helped with making improvements to the Norwich to Tilbury pylon project, to lessen the impact on Suffolk residents and businesses.
"Without such expertise, considerable projects such as pylon runs or solar farms could end up being put in ill-informed locations, risking the viability of existing airfields, and the safety of those that use them and who live and work nearby.
"As such, we have written to the Minister for Aviation, asking that he work with the CAA to reconsider the scrapping the Airfield Advisory Team."
In July 2024, Suffolk County Council raised its concerns about the proposed Norwich to Tilbury pylon project when it formally objected to plans, published at the time.
Amongst a number of fears, it cited that there would be “serious implications on nine airfields” with pylons close to runways which, in some cases, could possibly stop flying all together.
Suffolk County Council’s letter to Mike Kane MP, Minister of State for Aviation, can be read on suffolk.gov.uk
Suffolk discoveries rewrite the history of the East Anglian Kingdom 1,400 years ago
A new book details how 5,000 items of metalwork discovered by four local metal detector users during 10 years of archaeological fieldwork in Rendlesham, Suffolk, have helped change the way academics think about the earliest English kings and their kingdoms.
The fieldwork and significance of the finds, co-ordinated by the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (SCCAS), are shared in the new book, Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia AD 400–800, released this week.
The journey started in 2008, when a landowner contacted SCCAS for assistance following finds made on their property. Over the following decade, SCCAS co-ordinated archaeological investigations of the local area that identified the site of an East Anglian royal settlement - with the invaluable expertise of four experienced detectorists recovering and meticulously recording thousands of metal finds of archaeological interest, including precious metal jewellery and coinage.
A team of experts, funded by a project grant from The Leverhulme Trust, reconstructed the layout and history of the settlement, its place in wider landscape, the social connections and trade networks of those who lived there, and details such as the metalworking techniques of the master crafters who worked there.
As a result of all this work, experts have determined that:
The royal centre at Rendlesham – covering an area of 50 hectares (approximately 70 football pitches) – is the largest and wealthiest settlement of its time known from England
For 150 years, from AD 580 to 730, Rendlesham was the centre of royal power in this part of the kingdom – the place where the kings stayed, dispensed justice, feasted followers, received envoys, and had coinage minted
Analysis of metal-detected finds from other places in Suffolk and Norfolk has enabled the identification of similar settlements to Rendlesham – centres from which royal power was exercised over other parts of the kingdom
Professor Christopher Scull, Cardiff University and UCL Institute of Archaeology, who led the research project, said:
“Since its discovery on the eve of the Second World War, the royal burial ground at Sutton Hoo has stood alone as an enigmatic memorial to the East Anglian kings of the seventh century.
“But our ground-breaking research involving Rendlesham has not only identified the places where these kings lived, and from which they ruled, but also how their ancestors fought to establish a kingdom after the collapse of the Roman world.
“These societies were more sophisticated, and more widely connected, than we previously thought. We are able to show how local leaders from what is now south-east Suffolk established a wider rule over what is now Norfolk and Suffolk, and how they ruled their kingdom through royal centres such as Rendlesham. We also believe that the legacy of Roman rule helped shape the geography of the early East Anglian kingdom.”
Following these significant discoveries, the journey continued with SCCAS conducting a separate phase of archaeological fieldwork as part of the Rendlesham Revealed project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, involving local communities to undertake further excavations that have uncovered additional evidence of the royal settlement, including a great hall and possible temple.
Councillor Philip Faircloth-Mutton, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Communities and Equality, said:
“Suffolk continues to reveal its extraordinary history and international significance. We owe the discovery and understandings of the royal settlement at Rendlesham to the landowner for allowing access, to the four local metal detectorists who were instrumental in discovering the site, to all the professionals and academics involved in realising the importance of what has been found, and to the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service for coordinating.
“With the cooperation of responsible metal detector users, who choose to work with our archaeological service, it shows how all parties can come together and make a powerful contribution to archaeological research and protect our shared heritage.”
Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia AD 400–800 is published by the Society of Antiquaries of London, with grants from the Marc Fitch Fund, The Sutton Hoo Society, University College London, Historic England, and the Scarfe Charitable Trust.
The book was made possible following project funding by The Leverhulme Trust through the Institute of Archaeology, University College London working in partnership with the University of East Anglia, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service.
Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia AD 400–800 is available to order from the Pen & Sword Books website.
The metal-detected finds from Rendlesham are held by Colchester and Ipswich Museums and will be on permanent display at Ipswich Museum when it reopens.
Suffolk and East of England councils seek fairness in the face of energy projects
Suffolk County Council is joining with other local authorities in the region to challenge National Grid and the government on energy projects, demanding fairness for their communities and environment.
The county councils from Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Lincolnshire all face similar challenges with Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) being planned for their counties.
These are typically related to energy projects, including solar farms, wind turbines, pylons and the infrastructure associated offshore wind farms, such as substations and cabling.
Two of Suffolk County Council’s main concerns, shared with the other counties, are:
The uncoordinated approach to NSIPs - this is creating significant challenges for Suffolk’s rural communities under the current planning policy as applied by the planning inspectorate and Secretary of State.
The government’s 2030 target for decarbonising the electricity grid – this is too hasty, making it impossible to deliver alternative solutions to pylon projects like Norwich to Tilbury
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, said:
“Along with colleagues from neighbouring county councils, we are asking government and National Grid for fairness to our communities.
“Unbelievably, many energy projects are simply not being coordinated, even those proposed by the same umbrella organisation. This means upheaval for local communities, unnecessary infrastructure, construction and disruption – all of which is preventable, if only there was some organisation.
“Successful motions at our full council meeting last week (12 December 2024), saw references to the impacts that significant energy projects will likely bring to Suffolk – which are also felt across Essex, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. For example, many energy projects significantly threaten Suffolk’s best and most versatile farmland, our rural communities and landscape.”
Suffolk County Council has had a longstanding position to support the need for low carbon energy to provide energy security for the country, and the progress to net zero – but not at any cost.
Cllr Rout continues:
“The government’s urgency to decarbonise the grid by 2030 is causing damaging decision-making and threatening the food security, habitats, and natural beauty of our countryside and its communities.
“It means the only solution for grid upgrades to projects like Norwich to Tilbury, are pylons. There are other viable alternatives, such as offshore or underground cabling. These options have still not been properly costed, despite what the government or National Grid may say, and are likely to prove more beneficial and efficient if given suitable consideration and time.”
‘Your county needs you’ – search gets underway for new Armed Forces Commissioner for Suffolk
Suffolk is seeking a new Armed Forces Commissioner.
The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the UK Armed Forces community in the county for a three-year period from mid-March 2025.
This voluntary, non-political role includes chairing the Suffolk Armed Forces Covenant Board, set up by Suffolk County Council and partners to ensure that those who serve or who have served in the UK Armed Forces and their families, are treated fairly.
Suffolk is home to Wattisham Flying Station, RAF Honington, Rock Barracks near Woodbridge, plus reservists based in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich, RAF Honington and Lowestoft.
There are an estimated 30,000 veterans in Suffolk of which around 10,000 are of working age.
The Board’s work includes help with wellbeing for veterans and families, encouraging GP practices to become ‘Veteran Friendly’ accredited, and providing additional educational and emotional support for children from service families.
Lee Holloway, the current Armed Forces Commissioner for Suffolk and a former naval officer, said:
“It has been a privilege to lead the county’s Covenant Board in supporting our Armed Forces.
“There is an increasing and diverse range of support services which have come about through partnership working whether they are delivered by professionals or indeed volunteers. I wish my successor the very best of luck.”
Councillor Mick Fraser, Armed Forces Champion at Suffolk County Council said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for someone to provide independent leadership to Suffolk’s military community, whilst also working closely with our council and other partners to drive organisational change that’s of real benefit for our Armed Forces.
“I’d like to thank Lee Holloway for all his work over his term. I have no doubt that we’ll find the right replacement and would urge those interested to come forward and apply now.”
Anyone wishing to apply must be able to volunteer 16 days (split into 32 half days) of their time in total each year, but it is not a prerequisite for a candidate to have directly served in the UK Armed Forces.
They will, however, need to learn about issues affecting the local UK Armed Forces community – consisting of regular military, the reserves, service families, veterans, and cadets.
Applications for the voluntary position will be accepted until 5pm on Friday 17th January 2025, to enable the successful candidate to start their three-year appointment in mid-March 2025.
Further information on the vacancy, application process and Suffolk’s Armed Forces Covenant can be found at: www.suffolkmilitarycovenant.org.uk
Suffolk councillors to consider devolution and council reorganisation
Suffolk County Council will hold an extraordinary meeting of councillors, and a meeting of its Cabinet, to debate and then decide on whether or not to put Suffolk forward for the government’s new devolution and reorganisation programme.
The government has required that formal notice be given if Suffolk wishes to be part of the Devolution Priority Programme by 10 January 2025. Therefore, the meetings, both to be held on 9 January 2025, will see all 75 councillors debate and vote on a proposal to recommend Suffolk is at the front of the queue. Following the Full Council meeting, the Cabinet will make a final decision.
Councillor Matthew Hicks, Leader of Suffolk County Council, said:
“The government has set out its devolution and reorganisation proposals and has asked that Suffolk County Council submit an expression of interest by 10 January if we wish to be part of the Devolution Priority Programme. As a result, we must hold these extraordinary meetings. On 9 January, all Suffolk County Councillors will be given an opportunity to have their say before a final decision is made by Cabinet.
“Changes of this scale create an opportunity to streamline local government, empower joined-up decision making, save taxpayers money and ensure councils are resistant to economic challenges.
“I welcome the positive engagement of Suffolk’s district and borough councils. This is a significant decision and one that will not be taken lightly.”
On 16 December, the Government published its much-anticipated English Devolution White Paper, outlining plans for broader and deeper devolution coupled with a programme of coordinated local government reorganisation.
Key to the proposals is a reorganisation of council structures, particularly in two-tier areas like Suffolk, with a shift away from district, borough and county councils towards unitary councils. The government argues that unitary councils can deliver better outcomes for residents and save money that can be reinvested in public services.
For most areas, the government says that this means creating councils serving populations of 500,000 or more, with exceptions where they make practical sense.
Alongside reorganisation, the government is also proposing to create new Mayoral Authorities – with a single directly elected Mayor covering larger geographies (for example Norfolk and Suffolk) and with powers over strategic policy areas like transport infrastructure, health improvement and blue light services.
At this stage, no decisions have been made about what will happen in Suffolk.
The meetings will be held consecutively from 2pm in the King Edmund Chamber at Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX. The meetings will be live-streamed on the council’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SuffolkCC
Papers for the meetings can be viewed at: https://committeeminutes.suffolk.gov.uk
