Councillor Toni Lancaster has been leading the Parish Plan consultation at various events in the village over the past few months (ably assisted by most of the rest of the Council) and is currently finalising her findings ahead of the next phase of the Parish Plan development.

One of the early findings of the consultation is that on the whole it is not well known to whom a villager should turn when a matter needs council attention. Attached to this note are a few links which can help describe this in more detail but the Council thought it would be good to give villagers an overview of who is responsible for what.

The “council” essentially has three pillars which work in a complementary way:

  1. Brantham Parish Council
  2. Babergh District Council
  3. Suffolk County Council

1) Brantham Parish Council comprises 11 members of the public from Brantham or with a direct connection to Brantham and they are elected onto the Council at the elections in May typically, with the last election being in May 2023. Some councillors are also co-opted and they have joined the council after the election. The full council meets on the first Wednesday of every month. I would point out we still have vacancies on the Parish Council and should anyone be interested in joining the Parish Council, please contact our clerk, Sarah Keys.

Given the geographies that each of these council’s cover, the Brantham Parish Council is the only pillar of local government which cares exclusively for the village of Brantham – Brantham and its residents are our priority.

We focus on the play areas and making sure we have enough relevant play equipment; we keep an eye on the footpaths and other services (e.g., dog litter bins, bus shelters, grit bins etc) ensuring that issues are either dealt with or referred to the correct authority (e.g. liaising with the land owner and Suffolk County Council over the invasion of Japanese knotweed in Factory Lane); we are consulted on all planning applications in the village; we own the Leisure Centre and liaise frequently with the tenants which ensures its continuing success as a village social hub; we are trustees of the Village Hall,  liaising with and helping the Management Committee, where we can, to ensure its continued success. We also provide grants to local groups to again make Brantham a better place to live – examples being assisting with the costs of The Bugle, helping the Scouts pay for their asbestos removal, contributing towards the costs of the Platinum Jubilee and King’s Coronation events and providing equipment and training for the Brantham Open Spaces team who do much valued work keeping our paths and verges clear!

2) The Brantham ward is represented at Babergh District Council by Alastair McCraw. The District council covers a large geography bordered by the River Stour in the south, extending up to Shotley Gate in the north east, then stretching across passed Sudbury in the west and Audley End in the north west. It is primarily responsible for litter collection and recycling; collecting Council Tax, housing and also planning applications, be it a single extension to a home up to a new housing estate.

3) Brantham as part of the Shotley Peninsula is represented by Simon Harley at Suffolk County Council. Suffolk County Council has a wide set of responsibilities including education, planning, safety, social care, libraries and trading standards. They are also responsible for transport which includes most of the roads in Suffolk and, of course Brantham - One notable element being the A137 which runs the length of the Brantham village.  

You can find out more about different councils' roles here.