Quick links
Go to the A-Z of Councillors – if you know the name of the Ward where you live then locate the ward to find the Councillor(s). Or you can check on http://www.councillor.gov.uk/ by typing in your postcode.
Alternatively, go to the A-Z of Wards and look for the name of your village or town. The name(s) of the District Councillor(s) who represent you are listed in the table. If you live in Great Cornard, Hadleigh or Sudbury, but you are not sure which Ward (e.g. North, South or East), click on the names of the wards and look at the lists of addresses, until you find yours.
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You can get details of Parish/Town Councillors for your area from the Clerk to the Parish or Town Council concerned. County Councillor details can be accessed via the electoral information area of our website.
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The A-Z of Councillors gives (in abbreviated form) the party that the Member represents. Check the bottom of the table to see what each abbreviation means.
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Currently no political party has overall control of the Council. The political make-up of the Council is on the A-Z of Councillors page.
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Suffolk County Council is responsible, amongst other things, for Caravan sites, consumer protection (trading standards), education, the fire service, libraries, records, highways and traffic, social services and transport co-ordination.
Babergh District Council deals with such matters as abandoned vehicles, allotments, car parks, cemeteries, Council Tax collection, electoral registration, economic development, housing, planning, food hygiene, licensing, parks and open spaces, public conveniences, rubbish collection and recreational facilities. Look at our A-Z of Services for a full list.
Some Town and Parish Councils may have acquired some powers from the District Council to look after cemeteries, allotments, parks and open spaces etc. They might also provide and maintain bus shelters and litter bins.
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A Parish Clerk’s precise duties will depend upon the Parish and what functions it undertakes. All Parish Clerks arrange the meetings of their Parish Council but some, particularly in the larger parishes, will also have other duties. Find details on contacting Parish Clerks.
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A councillor is an elected representative on the Council who usually belongs to a political party. An officer is a non-political paid employee of the Council. Elected Councillors set the Council’s policies and priorities, which officers put into practice.
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Local people elect Councillors (who are sometimes also called “ward councillors” or members) to represent them on the Council where they serve the public by planning and managing the Council’s business. Councillors work to improve the quality of life for people within the area served by the Council by making policies and decisions about services provided for the local community. They follow up items raised with them by local people, campaign on local issues and represent the community both within the Council and with other organisations. The Council has adopted various Role Descriptions for its Members, which are set out in the Appendices to Article 2 of the Constitution (PDF, 187kb).
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Councillors are elected by local people for a term of 4 years. Candidates must satisfy certain qualifications to be able to stand and must be at least 18. Further details about standing as a candidate (PDF, 94kb) can be found in the Electoral Information area of this website.
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Unfortunately, no. We do not always dispatch mail to Councillors every day and so, in order to be certain that your Councillor receives the communication in accordance with your required timescales, you should send it direct to the Councillor. You can find details of how to contact your Councillor in the A-Z of Councillors.
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There is a link to each separate Committee on the Committee Information page. Clicking the link brings up a list of the members and a brief description of the role of the Committee.
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A link to the details of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen is at the top of the Committee Information page.
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Brief descriptions of the functions of each Committee can be found by clicking the link from the main Committee Information page to the individual Committee.
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Overview and Scrutiny is explained in a separate article accessed from the main Committee Information page and is basically concerned with the review and development of the Council’s policies, performance monitoring and holding the Strategy Committee to account by scrutinising their decisions.
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The meetings timetable (PDF, 14kb) is on the bottom of the Committee Information page.
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Most meetings are held during the normal working day and start at 9.30 a.m. The agendas for specific meetings say when and where the meeting will take place. Agendas are on the Council and Committee Papers section of the website where there is a heading for each Committee, which opens up a page listing both the agendas and minutes for meetings of that Committee.
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The Agenda for any meeting is available to view at the Council Offices, five working days before the meeting. They are usually available for viewing on the web site shortly after this. You can view the Committee Papers by following the link to the Committee and the date of the meeting that you are interested in.
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There will be some copies of the papers available for use by the public at the meeting. If you wish us to send you a copy for your personal use, you will need to pay a charge to cover our copying and postage costs. Please contact committeeservices@babergh.gov.uk so that we can tell you the price.
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The Chairman of the Council is Councillor Jennie Jenkins. Apart from chairing meetings of the full Council, the Chairman also represents the Council at civic and ceremonial events and by recent tradition supports chosen charities during his or her term of office (usually two years).
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We do not have a Leader. Babergh is one of the smaller district councils which, rather than opting for an elected mayor or a cabinet-executive with a Leader, chose to adopt “alternative arrangements” for political leadership, which is also known as the “Fourth Option”.
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Babergh operates so-called “alternative arrangements” without a Leader, a Cabinet or Portfolio Holders. Instead of individual named Councillors, responsibility for functions rests collectively with the appropriate Committee. Babergh does, however, have various “Champions”, whose responsibility it is to lead on particular issues.
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As a smaller authority, the Council was not obliged to operate the executive style management arrangements introduced elsewhere by the Local Government Act 2000. Instead, the Council adopted revised Committee arrangements. The Council’s Strategy Committee is roughly equivalent to the Cabinet employed by Councils operating under the new political management structure established by the Act.
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No. Regrettably we cannot commit to passing on correspondence or other information intended for Councillors. Please see the A-Z of Councillors.
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Committee Services arrange the meetings of the Development Committee but, if your application needs to be considered by that Committee, the appropriate Planning officer will submit a report on it. Please contact the relevant case officer for details of the timetable for considering your planning application.
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At meetings of the full Council Babergh residents may ask a question of any Committee Chairman regarding the work of their Committee. The question must be submitted in writing at least two days before the meeting. Contact committeeservices@babergh.gov.uk for more information.
At meetings of Development Committee applicants, objectors and Town or Parish Council representatives can speak on planning applications. For full details see the article entitled “Have Your Say on Planning Applications.”
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