Babergh District (pronounced , [ Estimates of Total Populations of Areas of Suffolk Suffolk County Council]
The district includes parts of two designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Dedham Vale, known for its association with painter John Constable, and Suffolk Coast and Heaths.
The neighbouring districts are East Suffolk, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, West Suffolk, Braintree, Colchester and Tendring.
History
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering five former districts which were all abolished at the same time:
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Cosford Rural District
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Hadleigh Urban District
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Melford Rural District
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Samford Rural District
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Sudbury Municipal Borough
Samford Rural District had been in the administrative county of East Suffolk prior to the reforms; the other districts had all been in West Suffolk.
The new district was named Babergh after the medieval hundred of Babergh Hundred, which had covered part of the area.
Governance
Babergh District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Suffolk County Council.
The whole district is also covered by
, which form a third tier of local government.
In 2011, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils began working together, with one, fully integrated staff structure.
Political control
The council has been under no overall control since the 2019 election. Following the 2023 election a coalition of the Greens, independents and Liberal Democrats formed to run the council.
The first elections were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[ (Put "Babergh" in search box to see specific results.)]
|
|
| 1974–2015 |
| 2015–2019 |
| 2019–present |
Leadership
Prior to 2014 there was no formal position of leader of the council at Babergh, with political leadership provided instead by the chair of the policy and resources committee, or its successor, the strategy committee.
From 2014 onwards, the chair of the strategy committee was also given the title of leader.
The council then moved from a committee system to a leader and cabinet model in 2017, giving the leader additional powers to make executive decisions.
The leaders (or chairs of policy and resources / strategy committees) since 2005 have been:
|
| Apr 2005 |
| 2011 |
| 19 Dec 2017 |
| 25 Apr 2022 |
| 23 May 2023 |
| 20 May 2024 |
| 14 May 2025 |
| |
Composition
Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:
The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 32
representing 24 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
Premises
Since 2017 Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils have their combined headquarters at
Endeavour House in Ipswich, sharing the building with Suffolk County Council.
When the council was first created it inherited offices in Sudbury, Hadleigh and Ipswich from its predecessor councils. The council initially based itself at the former Cosford Rural District Council's offices at 32 High Street in Hadleigh.
Geography
The southern boundary of the district is marked almost exclusively by the River Stour, which also forms the border with
Essex, and it is separated from East Suffolk by the
River Orwell. The eastern part of the district forms a peninsula between the two tidal rivers, coming to a point at
Shotley Gate.
'John Constable Country' is cognate with a large tract of Babergh: drawing visitors to the Dedham Vale, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the well-preserved villages of Long Melford, Lavenham and Kersey. The district also includes part of the built-up area of Ipswich at Pinewood.
Demography
Babergh's population size has increased by 5.2%, from around 87,700 in 2011 to 92,300 in 2021
and covers an area of approximately .
Towns and parishes
The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Sudbury and Hadleigh have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a
parish meeting rather than a parish council.
External links
