West Suffolk.
Conservative and Unionist Party-controlled district. £21m net revenue. 43 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.
31 May 2026
Conservative and Unionist Party chamber, 2-party MP geography.
West Suffolk is a district controlled by Conservative and Unionist Party (27 of 64 seats). Net revenue is £21m for 2025-26. It covers 43 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 2 parties — a heterogeneous setup.
Who sits in the chamber.
Conservative and Unionist Party 42% · last contested 4 May 2023
Councillors — the people.
| Councillor | Ward | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Rayner | Con | Abbeygate | 2023 |
| Julia Wakelam | Grn | Abbeygate | 2023 |
| Andrew Smith | Con | Bardwell | 2019 |
| Carol Bull | Con | Barningham | 2023 |
| Ian Houlder | Con | Barrow | 2023 |
| Jools Savage | Ind | Brandon Central | 2023 |
| Phil Wittam | Ind | Brandon East | 2023 |
| Victor Lukaniuk | Ind | Brandon West | 2023 |
| Mike Chester | Con | Chedburgh Chevington | 2019 |
| Karen Richardson | Con | Clare Hundon Kedington | 2023 |
| Marion Rushbrook | Con | Clare Hundon Kedington | 2023 |
| Nick Clarke | Con | Clare Hundon Kedington | 2023 |
Where revenue comes from.
Revenue mix is close to the councils (district) median: 58% council tax, 29% central grants.
Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)
Band-D bill.
| Council slice | £204 |
| County / upper-tier | £1,649 |
| Police | £290 |
| Fire & rescue | £0 |
| GLA precept | £0 |
| Parish average | £100 |
| Total Band-D | £2,243 |
Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish
Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.
How does West Suffolk split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (district)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.
The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.
Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.
West Suffolk’s territory crosses 2 Westminster constituencies, with 2 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.
| Constituency | Wards | % of council | Current MP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Suffolk | 28 | 65% | Nick Timothy | Con |
| Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket | 15 | 35% | Peter Prinsley | Lab |
This council holds 1 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Conservative and Unionist Party-controlled district — most weeks one MP is asking the council for something and another is praising it.
Sources, methods & last update
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
vs 163 other councils (district)
Police, Fire, Parish on top
Not yet ingested for West Suffolk
2023 boundaries
Pending ingest at LAD level