Ipswich Borough Council has decided to conduct a Community Governance Review in light of the proposed reorganisation of local government.
A Community Governance Review is a legal process through which Ipswich Borough Council can consider:
- the creation of parishes, and the naming and style of these (e.g. whether to call a council a town or community council);
- the electoral arrangements for created councils, i.e. the ordinary year of election, council size, the number of councillors to be elected to the council, and its warding.
The review includes all aspects of community governance arrangements for Ipswich, including whether any new town or parish councils should be created, along with the number of town or parish councillors to be elected for any such council created. The full terms of reference can be found here.
The Council will be seeking the views of residents through two consultations. The first consultation will run from 13 October – 15 December 2025 and will seek general views on community governance in Ipswich. The second consultation seeking feedback on proposals developed by the Council, taking into account the results of the first consultation, will start on 29 January and run until 26 March 2026. The full timetable for the review can be found here.