Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is run by 75 elected

county councillor A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

s representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the

East of England Local Government Association The East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) is an association of the 52 local authorities in the East of England. It is a regional grouping of the Local Government Association and the regional employers organisation. It was establishe ...

History

Established in 1974 and initially based at East Suffolk County Hall, the Council relocated to

Endeavour House Endeavour House is a municipal building in Russell Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It is the meeting place and offices of Suffolk County Council. The Babergh District Council and Mid Suffolk District Council also use the building for the ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

in 2004. In September 2010, the council announced that it would seek to outsource a number of its services, in an attempt to cut its own budget by 30%. Controversy surrounding the then CEO

Andrea Hill Andrea Hill was Suffolk County Council's chief executive from March 2008 to July 2011, when she left the authority by mutual agreement. Early career Hill attended The Sandon School, Sandon, Chelmsford, Essex and then studied public administrati ...

, some concerning including £122,000 spent on management consultants, featured in the local and national press in 2011; this led to her facing a disciplinary hearing, and subsequently resigning.

Structure of the County Council

The County Council is led by its CEO Nicola Beach, who has been in this role since May 2018. The Council is split into 5 distinct areas known as directorates. Each directorate has responsibility for a range of services and statutory requirements.

Responsibilities

Suffolk County Council is responsible for major services which are provided countywide. These include: * Education and learning: schools, evening classes for adults, youth clubs and higher education grants. * Environment: conservation of the countryside and public access to it, waste disposal and archaeological services. * Leisure and culture: archives and support for arts and museums. * Public safety: fire rescue service and emergency planning advice. * Registrars: registration of births, marriages and deaths. * Social care: care for older people who are physically or mentally infirm, or have a mental health problem, those with physical or learning disabilities and children and families who need protection and support. * Trading standards: protecting consumers and giving advice. * Transport and streets: maintaining and improving Suffolk's roads, footpaths and public rights of way, road safety, public transport co-ordination.

Shared services

Responsibility for some services is shared between the county council and borough, district and parish councils in Suffolk, including: *Conservation *Economic promotion *Emergency planning *Museums and the arts *Public transport *Street cleaning *Tourism

Suffolk Electoral Divisions

Suffolk County Council is organised into

Electoral Division An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

s. These divisions are periodically reviewed. As of 2021, there were 63 divisions of which 51 each returned a single member, a further 12 divisions each being represented by two members. Each councillor is responsible for their own Locality budget which amounted to £8,000 for the 2021/2022 financial year.

Elections

There are currently 75 Councillors elected to SCC. As at 2022 the council is run by the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

party. The Conservatives hold 55 seats on the Council, Greens 9, Labour 5, Liberal Democrats 4, Independents 1 and West Suffolk Independents 1. These last elections were held on 6 May 2021.

References

External links

Suffolk County Council
{{Suffolk elections County councils of England 1974 establishments in England Local authorities in Suffolk Local education authorities in England Major precepting authorities in England Leader and cabinet executives