New chair and vice chair elected for two Suffolk Councils
Phil Wittam (centre) handing over cheques to Amanda Bloomfield, of Gatehouse, and Roy and Sue Groom, of Suffolk Accident Rescue Service. Photo: West Suffolk Council.
West Suffolk Council along with Babergh District Council have elected their new officials to lead the two councils.
Peter Armitage has been elected the new chair of West Suffolk Council with Jools Savage as the vice chair while at Babergh Deborah Saw is the new leader with John Ward the deputy leader while Lee Parker was elected as the new council chair with Elisabeth Malvisi elected vice-chair.
All the appointments were made at the councils’ annual meeting held on Tuesday, May 12.
Mr Armitage follows outgoing chair Phil Wittam, who during his term raised £1,727.27 for Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS) and £1,503.93 for Gatehouse, an independent charity that works with the vulnerable throughout East Anglia, including West Suffolk – his chosen charities for the year.
He said: “Being the chair of West Suffolk Council is an honour.
“The role is an important civic link to our communities.
“I am looking forward to meeting as many community groups as possible and representing the authority as well as working with all our West Suffolk councillors.
“I know how busy councillor Wittam has been during his time as chair and I would like to congratulate him on the excellent job he has done and the money he has raised for his charities.”
The newly elected leader of Babergh District Council has spelled out the need for targeted action to support residents and communities amid serious funding challenges.
Councillor Saw will lead the Green, Independent and Liberal Democrat coalition administration.
She told the meeting Babergh wanted to leave a positive legacy ahead of Local Government Reorganisation in 2028, when the current county, district and borough councils in Suffolk will be replaced by three new unitary councils.
“We have 23 months left. Let’s make them count,” she said. “All of us want to leave a legacy that will benefit our successor unitaries but most particularly our residents and our staff.”
Councillor Saw also outlined the council’s desire to support young people in the district.
“Currently in Babergh we are a low wage, low productivity area where young people don’t always get the opportunities they need and deserve to gain the skills they will require to sustain employment in the future.
“In partnership with further education colleges and businesses we will ensure that our young people at least get good work experiences and in some cases apprenticeships.”