The Boundary Committee has put forward plans for two unitary councils in Suffolk, one based around Ipswich and Felixstowe and the second encompassing the rest of the county. We do not believe this is the right solution and this is the statement we issued today.

FOREST Heath District Council says it is "extremely disappointed" by the proposals put forward by the Boundary Committee for England today.
Forest Heath District Council leader, Cllr Geoffrey Jaggard, said: "We are extremely disappointed by this recommendation which, if implemented, would ignore the feelings of our local residents, who consider that a West Suffolk Council, or status quo, would be better than this. This recommendation seems to take no account of people's sense of place in their own community. We have always argued for local people making local decisions."
The council will be studying the Boundary Committee's proposals which could see three of the county's major towns (Ipswich, Felixstowe and Lowestoft) split from the rest of Suffolk.
Consultation runs from now until 26 September and full details are on the Boundary Committee's website, www.boundarycommittee.org.uk. The Government is expected to make its decision in early 2009.
"This does not appear to be a good solution for the people in West Suffolk or for local democracy," said Cllr Jaggard. " We believe that a large unitary council, covering Forest Heath, St Edmundsbury, Babergh, Mid Suffolk and parts of Waveney and Suffolk Coastal, would be cumbersome and remote from people and places which is why we argued for smaller scale unitary councils, or status quo. We believe it is important for councils to be able to focus on all the different issues and identities. "