The Council has said goodbye to former Mayor and leading Councillor, Penny Breakwell, who retired ahead of the 4th May 2006 election. Councillor Breakwell represented Town Ward and then its successor, Alexandra Ward, and served as Chair of the Environment & Transport Committee before becoming Mayor in 2003. She was born in Cardiff and after working in the theatre for many years became a teacher at St Helen's Primary School.
The Council also said farewell to another Councillor who retired, Bradley Maguire, who represented Priory Heath Ward for 11 years and was a respected back-bencher.
Sitting Councillors who lost their seats at the election were former Mayors Hamil Clarke (Whitton Ward), Roger Fern (Stoke Park), Albert Grant (Whitehouse) and Ian Grimwood (Sprites). Councillor Grimwood had completed 34 years as a Councillor, being first elected in 1972, and between them the four former Mayors had 72 years' service on the Council.
New Councillors are Nadia Cenci, Bob Hall and Steven Wells (all Conservative), Philip Green and Stephen Williams (Liberal Democrat) and John Cook (Labour).
The state of the parties on Ipswich Borough Council is:
Conservative 19
Labour 18
Liberal Democrats 9
Independent Conservatives 2