Lowestoft to stay part of Suffolk

Tim Passmore wants one unitary authority

Plans to make Lowestoft part of Norfolk under a shake-up of Suffolk's boundaries have been shelved.

The Boundary Committee for England has revised its proposals for the county and put forward two options.

One option would put Ipswich and Felixstowe under one authority and the rest of the county under another.

The other would see a single authority for the whole county with its existing boundaries. Earlier plans would have seen Lowestoft governed by Norfolk.

The committee said it had revised its plans for Lowestoft after consultation with residents.

Residents' views sought

It has started a consultation process on the latest proposals.

It will then make a final choice on which option to recommend to the government.

Max Caller, chairman of the Boundary Committee, said: "We want people to look carefully at what we're proposing and then tell us what they think and why."

Ipswich Borough Council responded to the announcement by calling for the process to "move forward without delay".

Suffolk County Council remains firmly committed to the single unitary option for the whole county Jeremy Pembroke Suffolk County Council

It has backed the move to create an Ipswich and Felixstowe authority and a Rural Suffolk authority.

In a joint statement, the council's leader Liz Harsant and Andrew Cann, the leader of the council's Liberal Democrat group, said it was "quite clear" that a majority of people were opposed to the creation of a "giant and unwieldy unitary authority".

But Tim Passmore, leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, said "people across Suffolk" had shown their support for a single authority.

Jeremy Pembroke, leader of Suffolk County Council, said he was "delighted" Lowestoft would remain part of Suffolk.

He said: "Suffolk County Council remains firmly committed to the single unitary option for the whole county, because this is the right option to protect the future of vital services in our county."