Cllr Wayne Bland, SALC Board Member for the West Suffolk area, attended this recent parish liaison meeting on behalf of SALC. Summary of what was presented is detailed below:
- There were two members of West Suffolk Councils Financial Inclusion team available to answer questions, during the comfort break, about the new service and explain how it will support individuals and community support groups.
- There was an update on the Better Recycling scheme given by Mark Walsh (director, operations, leisure and culture) and Mark Christie (head of service, waste and street scene) of Suffolk County Council. The scheme starts in June 2026, with information going to residents starting in March 2026. It was confirmed that there will be 4 bins plus a separate garden waste bin if service is paid for by individuals. Main concerns raised by participants were space for bins, cost and how the new scheme would affect village hall collections.
- There was a talk on working with the Planning Department given by Marie Smith (head of planning) and Penny Mills (service manager) the new department structure was explained including new roles and a brief update on the latest Local Plan and some of the policy changes, there was also a short update on the new style Plan and it’s timescales. The main focus was on training requirements that would help Town and Parish Councils work with the Planning Department, three groups were formed to discuss possibilities, unfortunately time ran out and the suggestions were taken away for review without any discussion at the meeting.
Our group focused on Material Considerations, Enforcement Policy and how to better understand and use the Local Plan.
The intention is that the Planning Department will feed back to Town and Parish Councils with training options, in due course.