A decision by Ipswich Borough Council to reject an £80,000 grant for parish councils across Suffolk has been branded as "selfish", "narrow-minded" and "embarrassing" by opposition.
Ipswich is the only unparished area in Suffolk, meaning the majority of its residents do not have a parish council representing them and therefore do not pay those fees.
On Friday, Suffolk’s six council leaders met to discuss a grant which proposed to support parish councils with nationally significant projects like Sizewell C or Sunnica solar farm, but the proposal was rejected by Ipswich Borough Council's leader, Neil McDonald.
It would have provided a further £80,000 on top of the £30,000 already committed by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils, which will help parish councils to understand the process, deadlines and opportunities for dialogue with developers of major projects.
During the meeting, Neil McDonald said, "As you are aware, we don't have parishes in Ipswich, so I find this difficult to support.
"Is Suffolk Association of Local Councils the best route through this?
"We have planning departments, so can they not do a bit more?
"Surely there's some synergy we can do across the eastern regions, then this?"
Investment decisions require unanimous support – so although all the other councils and the PCC supported it, the proposal was rejected.
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for devolution, local government reform and NSIPs, has described the decision as "selfish", "narrow-minded" and "embarrassing".
He also argues that it is an example that Suffolk's district and borough councils are unable to work together amid his campaign to promote Suffolk County Council's One Suffolk proposal for Suffolk's devolution requirements.
Cllr Rout said: “If this isn’t a perfect demonstration of the need to scrap all of Suffolk’s councils and have one organisation that supports the whole of the county, I don’t know what is.
“This is exactly the kind of narrow-minded, selfish approach that will hold Suffolk back if we end up with three councils not doing what is right for our county.
"If Ipswich Borough Council leaders seriously want to subsume 66 parishes into their expanded council border then they should try to understand organisations like SALC, and parish councils, that do vital work for residents.
“The Suffolk Public Sector Leaders Group has previously invested in both county-wide and local projects – including some that have benefited Ipswich specifically.
"Yet faced with the opportunity to act in the clear interests of the county, our borough council has turned its back.
“Ipswich’s MP recently signed a deal with Sizewell C to create 500 jobs for people in the town. Now when it comes to supporting the areas affected by this and other projects, political goodwill seems to have evaporated.
“Frankly, this is an embarrassing and short-sighted position to take and I expect our colleagues in the district councils will be angry about the borough’s approach. This is exactly the kind of thing that will happen under a three-council model.”
This comes after Suffolk's five district and borough councils recently released their plans for three unitary authorities, based around Central and Eastern Suffolk, Western Suffolk, and Ipswich and Southern Suffolk.
Meanwhile, cllr Rout, also recently set out Suffolk County Council's the main points of the One Suffolk plans in a 316-page document, ahead of the September 26 government deadline.
What is devolution?
The government wants the current council structure in Suffolk to be replaced with one layer of administration.
They say this will deliver better outcomes for residents and save money that can be reinvested into public services.
The existing district and borough councils have proposed having three unitary authorities.
Meanwhile, Suffolk County Council wants one authority to provide all services across the county.
The two sides will have to provide a formal submission of their plans to the government by September 26, before a final decision is made.
The changes are expected to be implemented with new structures in place by May 2026.
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