Following today's (Wednesday's) announcement about the re-organisation of local government in Suffolk, Forest Heath District Council issued the following statement.

Leader of Forest Heath District Council, Councillor Geoffrey Jaggard, said: “In the uncertainty that this announcement will cause across Suffolk we will strive to ensure that services to the Forest Heath public remain unaffected.

“We anticipate that the Boundary Commission may produce their review in approximately 12 months time and based upon that assumption we believe that implementation of any changes to council structures would be unlikely to occur before 2010.

“We have written to all of our staff and councillors to reassure them that there is no immediate cause for concern in relation to jobs.

"We are disappointed that the Government has not seen fit to allow the radical two-tier option, agreed in the Suffolk Pathfinder bid, to be progressed.

“We must ensure that the Boundary Commission recommends a structure that enables the continuation of high quality services and value for money without losing the strong focus we have on local communities.”