From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
Mid Suffolk
| Field | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| <!-- Elements common to United Kingdom --> | timezone | GMT |
| utc_offset | 0 | |
| timezone_DST | BST | |
| utc_offset_DST | +1 | |
| <!-- Elements common to administrative division of this type (English two-tier district) --> | settlement_type | Non-metropolitan district |
| subdivision_type | Sovereign state | |
| subdivision_type1 | Constituent country | |
| subdivision_type2 | Region | |
| subdivision_type3 | Non-metropolitan county | |
| subdivision_type4 | Status | |
| subdivision_type5 | Admin HQ | |
| subdivision_name | United Kingdom | |
| subdivision_name1 | England | |
| subdivision_name4 | Non-metropolitan district | |
| government_type | Non-metropolitan district council | |
| leader_title | Leadership | |
| leader_title1 | MPs | |
| established_title1 | Incorporated | |
| population_density_km2 | auto | |
| blank1_name | ONS code | |
| blank2_name | OS grid reference | |
| <!-- Elements unique to this article --> | official_name | Mid Suffolk District |
| image_skyline | Church of St Peter and St Mary Stowmarket From Market Place (cropped).jpg | |
| image_caption | Stowmarket, the district's largest town | |
| image_map | Mid Suffolk UK locator map.svg | |
| map_caption | Mid Suffolk shown within Suffolk and England | |
| subdivision_name2 | East of England | |
| subdivision_name3 | Suffolk | |
| subdivision_name5 | Ipswich | |
| established_date1 | 1 April 1974 | |
| governing_body | Mid Suffolk District Council | |
| leader_name1 | Peter Prinsley (Lab) | |
| Adrian Ramsay (Green) | ||
| Patrick Spencer (Ind) | ||
| area_total_km2 | 871.1 | |
| area_rank | (of ) | |
| population_total | ||
| population_as_of | ||
| population_rank | (of ) | |
| blank1_info | 42UE (ONS) | |
| E07000203 (GSS) | ||
| blank2_info | ||
| <!-- demographics (section 1) --> | demographics_type1 | Ethnicity (2021) |
| demographics1_footnotes | ||
| demographics1_title1 | Ethnic groups | |
| demographics1_info1 | {{Collapsible list | |
| <!-- demographics (section 2) --> | demographics_type2 | Religion (2021) |
| demographics2_footnotes | ||
| demographics2_title1 | Religion | |
| demographics2_info1 | {{Collapsible list |
Adrian Ramsay (Green) Patrick Spencer (Ind) E07000203 (GSS) | 96.8% White | 1.4% Mixed | 0.8% Asian | 0.5% Black | 0.4% other | 49.3% Christianity | 43.5% no religion | 7% other | 0.2% Islam Mid Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. The district is primarily a rural area, containing just three towns, being Stowmarket, Needham Market and Eye. Its council was based in Needham Market until 2017 when it moved to shared offices with neighbouring Babergh District Council in Ipswich, outside either district. In 2021 it had a population of 103,417.
The neighbouring districts are East Suffolk, Ipswich, Babergh, West Suffolk, Breckland and South Norfolk.
History
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering five former districts which were all abolished at the same time:
- Eye Municipal Borough
- Gipping Rural District
- Hartismere Rural District
- Stowmarket Urban District
- Thedwastre Rural District Thedwastre Rural District had been in the administrative county of West Suffolk prior to the reforms; the other districts had all been in East Suffolk. The new district was named Mid Suffolk, reflecting its position within the wider county.
Governance
Liberal Democrat Green ;Administration (23) : Green (23) ;Other parties (11) : : Conservative (3) : Independent (4)
Mid Suffolk District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Suffolk County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.
In 2011, Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils began working together, with one, fully integrated staff structure.
Political control
The council has been under Green Party majority control since the 2023 election, being the first time that the party had taken majority control of any council.
The first elections were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:
| Party in control | Years |
|---|---|
| 1974–1976 | |
| 1976–2003 | |
| 2003–2005 | |
| 2005–2007 | |
| 2007–2019 | |
| 2019–2023 | |
| 2023–present |
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 2003 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penny Otton | May 2003 | ||||||||
| last1=Howard | first1=John | title=Tories re-take Mid Suffolk | url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/tories-re-take-mid-suffolk-7431018 | access-date=23 June 2022 | work=East Anglian Daily Times | date=6 May 2003}} | May 2003 | Aug 2005 | |
| Tim Passmore | Aug 2005 | Nov 2012 | |||||||
| title=New leader at Mid Suffolk District Council replaces police commissioner | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-20809727 | access-date=23 June 2022 | work=BBC News | date=21 December 2012}} | Dec 2012 | 28 Apr 2016 | |||
| Nick Gowrley | 28 Apr 2016 | May 2019 | |||||||
| Suzie Morley | 20 May 2019 | May 2023 | |||||||
| Andy Mellen | 22 May 2023 |
Composition
Following the 2023 election, and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Councillors | Total | 34 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 |
The four independent councillors sit together as the "Mid Suffolk Independents" group. The next election is due in May 2027, where all seats of the council will be up for election.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 34 councillors representing 26 wards, with each ward electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years.
Premises
Since 2017 Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils have their combined headquarters at Endeavour House in Ipswich, sharing the building with Suffolk County Council.
When first created the council inherited offices in Elmswell, Eye, Stowmarket and Needham Market from its predecessors. It initially used the former Hartismere Rural District Council offices on Castleton Way in Eye as its headquarters, retaining the former Gipping Rural District Council offices in Needham Market and Stowmarket Urban District Council offices at Red Gables on Ipswich Road as secondary offices.
The council initially decided to consolidate its offices in Stowmarket, being the district's largest town and a central location, but no suitable site could be found there. Instead it decided to extend the former Gipping Rural District Council's headquarters in Needham Market. The original building there was a large eighteenth century house called "Hurstlea" at 131 High Street. A large modern extension was built behind the original building, which was formally opened in January 1982.
Towns and parishes
The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Eye, Needham Market and Stowmarket have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.
References
References
- "Mid Suffolk Local Authority".
- {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
- {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
- "Council minutes, 15 May 2025". Mid Suffolk District Council.
- (26 October 2016). "New council chief hired". Suffolk News.
- {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
- "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
- "One Council » Babergh Mid Suffolk".
- (5 May 2023). "Local elections 2023: Greens secure victory in Mid Suffolk". BBC News.
- (2023-05-05). "Greens win majority control of council for first time in UK". The Guardian.
- "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
- "Mid Suffolk". [[BBC News Online]].
- (6 May 2003). "Tories re-take Mid Suffolk". East Anglian Daily Times.
- "Former council leader mourned". Ipswich Star.
- (21 December 2012). "New leader at Mid Suffolk District Council replaces police commissioner". BBC News.
- (29 April 2016). "Mid Suffolk appoints new leader". Suffolk News.
- (29 April 2016). "Nick Gowrley appointed new leader of Mid Suffolk District Council". East Anglian Daily Times.
- (3 May 2019). "Suffolk local elections 2019: Council leaders face defeat as voters punish Conservatives in Suffolk". East Anglian Daily Times.
- "Council minutes, 20 May 2019". Mid Suffolk District Council.
- (5 May 2023). "Local elections 2023: Greens secure victory in Mid Suffolk". BBC News.
- "Council minutes, 22 May 2023". Mid Suffolk District Council.
- "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
- "Mid Suffolk". Thorncliffe.
- "Mid Suffolk District Councillors". Mid Suffolk District Council.
- {{cite legislation UK. (2018)
- (7 August 2017). "Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils set to move to Ipswich in September". East Anglian Daily Times.
- "Contact Us".
- (1976). "Municipal Year Book". Municipal Journal.
- {{London Gazette. (27 February 1970)
- {{NHLE
- (22 January 1982). "Four snub £1¾m office opening". Diss Express.
- "Parish Council contacts".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about Mid Suffolk — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report