Elections for Suffolk County Council will be help on Thursday 4^th May. In Felixstowe we have two divisions – Suffolk Coastal (two seats) and Felixstowe North and Trimleys (one seat).

The last election was in 2013 when Suffolk Coastal was won by Conservatives Nick Barber and Graham Newman with 28% and 26% of the vote respectively, and Felixstowe North and Trimleys was won by Conservative John Goodwin with 45% of the vote.

We have three layers of governance in Suffolk – Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council and The Town or Parish Council.

Suffolk County Council are responsible for Adult and Community Services including social care, arts, heritage, sport, libraries, safeguarding, and building strong communities; Children and Young People’s Services including early help, education, youth, community health, early years and specialist services; Public Health and Protection covering Public Health, Fire and Rescue, Community Safety, Trading Standards and Emergency Planning; and Resource Management including registrars  for Births, Deaths and Marriages and Coroners.

Suffolk Coastal District Council is responsible for:

• bin or refuse collections and brown bins
• council tax payment, homes and housing rent
• parking fines and permits
• planning applications
• swimming pools, parks and leisure centres
• abandoned animals; stray cats or dogs

Candidates for the Felixstowe divisions are as follows:

Suffolk Coastal:

Seamus Bennett              Liberal Democrats

Jan Candy                         Liberal Democrats

Corrine Franklin             Labour

Margaret Morris              Labour

Kay Lyndie                        Green

Aiden Semmens               Green

Graham Newman            Conservative

Steve Wiles                        Conservative

Keith Phair                          UKIP

Felixstowe North & Trimley:

Dave Ablitt                          Labour

Stuart Bird                           Conservative

David Coults                        UKIP

Andrew Marfleet                Liberal Democrats

Jonathan Mulberg              Green

Suffolk is divided into 63 electoral divisions, 12 of which are represented by 2 councillors. Large towns maybe split into several divisions and in rural areas groups of parishes make-up a single division.

The Council is currently controlled by the Conservative party.

The full political make-up of the council was:

• Conservative 37
• Green 2
• Independent 3
• Labour 15
• Liberal Democrat 8
• UKIP 10