East Suffolk Council

Designs for a new play area at Winnipeg Road in Lowestoft have been revealed! Earlier this year, children from St Margaret's Primary Academy in Lowestoft held a competition to design a panel on a bridge within the play area. The winning design has now been incorporated into the final designs, created by Wicksteed Leisure Ltd.   Work is due to begin on 6 January, with the play area scheduled to be open in the spring.

Twenty-one primary schools in Lowestoft have benefited from a new small grant scheme funded by the Lowestoft and Northern Parishes Community Partnership. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were supplied to Year 1 pupils at each school, as part of the ‘Try it’ small grant scheme. The need for this initiative was identified at a quarterly Lowestoft Primary School Heads meeting, with one school stating that up to 50% of their Year 1 children do not have their own toothbrush or toothpaste. Cllr Paul Ashdown, Community Partnership chair, said “I was shocked at this figure and hoped that by giving out these toothbrushes and toothpaste, this would stimulate conversations between the children and their parents or carers about the importance of cleaning their teeth.” Community Partnership Chair Paul Ashdown, Vice Chair Danny Steel and Communities Officer Louise Thomas are pictured below with some of the students who benefitted from this scheme.

Following a partial collapse of the promenade north of Southwold Pier, people are advised to take extra care in this area. Officers from Coastal Partnership East and the Council’s Building Control team are on site and will cordon the area off for safety, removing access to the northern end of the prom. This may affect access to the beach huts and nearby car park. Please take care in this area and for your own safety and the safety of others, please respect any fencing or cordons, and take note of any signage.

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Planner to join our Planning Team at East Suffolk Council! Do you have extensive, up to date knowledge of current planning working practices, development design, planning law and regulations, and leading on complex and/or major planning applications? Are you confident in negotiation and the ability to foster robust working relationships? Then this might be the job for you! This role is based in Melton. Applications close 7 January. Find out more and apply: https://bit.ly/41KWKz1 (Even if you don’t meet all the requirements, please apply. We’d appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.)

We are proud to have funded this initiative as part of our Warm Welcomes scheme. The boxes are available from libraries in Aldeburgh, Kesgrave, Kessingland, Leiston, Southwold, Wickham Market, and Woodbridge.

Our Warm Welcomes scheme has reopened for the winter, with libraries, churches and community hubs across East Suffolk providing a warm space and an opportunity to connect with other members of the local community. Part-funded by the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Warm Welcomes provide a safe and welcoming space where members of the community, including people who may be struggling with the cost of heating their homes, can come to meet with others and access information about additional support available in the community: https://lnkd.in/ey4JRt9v

Filmmaking, theatre, sports and creative workshops are just some of the free activities on offer during the school holidays across East Suffolk this Christmas. Numerous organisations across the district are providing fun and enriching activities and food as part of a programme of experiences for children and young people over the Christmas holidays. Starting from Saturday 21 December and running until Saturday 4 January, there are 19 programmes on offer with over 880 places available to book. The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme has been funded by the UK Government for three years, providing over £200m per year for activities for children and young people, particularly those in receipt of free school meals. The HAF programme is overseen by Suffolk County Council and coordinated locally by East Suffolk Council. Holiday activities are varied and can introduce young people to new experiences and skills, from filmmaking to drama and teamwork to problem solving, as well providing opportunities for physical and social activity. Each funded holiday activity also offers a free meal. In Suffolk, the programme is targeted at those eligible for benefits-related free school meals, and other vulnerable children, or those with additional needs who would benefit from accessing the programme. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/exthzcPr

Suffolk Costal Port Health Authority are currently recruiting for some Authorised Officers. The role offers a mix of both office-based administrative functions and out of office functions. This role is based at Harwich or Felixstowe Applications close 17 January Find out more and apply:https://bit.ly/3DkT8K5 #JoinEastSuffolk

An innovative new council entirely comprising young people from across East Suffolk has met for the first time, ensuring the ideas and concerns of younger people are heard. Earlier this autumn, thirty-two young people from up and down East Suffolk were elected to the new East Suffolk Youth Council, an innovative initiative designed to engage young people in politics and enable them to influence decisions affecting their lives and communities. Following an induction day on Monday 18 November at which the new Youth Councillors were ‘sworn in’, the first Youth Council meeting took place at Riverside in Lowestoft on Monday 9 December. As their first item of business, the Youth Councillors elected a Chair and Vice-Chair. Both positions were hotly contested, but after multiple nominations, speeches and votes, a Chair was elected from St Felix School in Reydon, and a Vice-Chair from Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham. The Youth Council then turned to their first motion, in which they called upon East Suffolk Council to devote greater resources and attention to youth safety and well-being. With the newly elected Chair presiding ably over discussions, the Youth Councillors emphasised the impacts of social media and the Covid-19 pandemic upon youth, and the need for improved youth activities, services and support. The Youth Council carried their motion unanimously, and East Suffolk Council must now consider their views. At their November Full Council meeting, elected Members unanimously agreed that they would discuss any valid motion duly passed by the Youth Council at their next Full Council meeting. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBaETPNz

An East Suffolk museum has been presented with the first bench to receive an impressive new look as part of a renovation programme. The heritage-style sunbeam bench delivered to Felixstowe Museum is among 34 labelled for restoration and reinstatement along the seafront. It follows an East Suffolk Council survey into the condition of commemorative benches available for individuals and organisations to sponsor for a period of 10 years. Seventeen benches will be faithfully restored by East Suffolk Services Ltd (ESSL) and returned to The Prom, north of Felixstowe Pier, while a further 14 will occupy landscaped areas along Sea Road. Each bench will be removed for refurbishment, and adorned with an optional commemorative plaque, upon reservation by an individual or group sponsor. https://lnkd.in/ehTax9Py