A group of councillors have gathered outside council offices to protest plans to postpone this year’s elections.
County councillors are now meeting to discuss joining the Government’s devolution priority programme meant to speed up the council shake-up process, including by postponing the upcoming May elections.
In December, the Government announced its plans to scrap district and borough councils and replace them with unitary authorities.
Before the discussion can take place, however, several opposition county councillors, alongside some district representatives, have gathered outside the council’s offices at Endeavour House, in Ipswich, to protest against postponing the elections.
Cllr Andrew Stringer, the leader of the opposition GLI group, said: “There is so much at stake, not just the future trajectory of how we govern ourselves here, but the way we go about it.
“Why are these people so frightened of democracy, it should be something to embrace.”
Several opposition county councillors, alongside some district representatives, have gathered outside Suffolk County Council’s offices at Endeavour House, in Ipswich, to protest against postponing the elections. Picture: Joao Santos
Addressing concerns Cllr Matthew Hicks, said yesterday, the county’s leader, said: “Any decision to delay elections rests solely with the government. Ministers will make the decisions based on requests to join the devolution priority programme.
“They have written the rules and we have to follow them if we want to make the most of the devolution opportunities on the table.”