Update!
At the November Parish Council meeting, Councillor Dave Busby said that the decision regarding change of name had been postponed to allow more time to consider the implications.
7/11/19
Briefing Note for parishes
Dear Parish Clerks,
We wanted to make you aware of an extraordinary meeting convened next month under the Local Government Act 1972, to allow councillors to consider renaming Babergh District Council to South Suffolk Council.
If agreed, this name change would make the council geographically consistent with its neighbouring authorities in Suffolk and also align with the name of the parliamentary constituency.
Babergh District Council has been existence since 1974 and councillors acknowledge that it has a proud history, but there is also the recognition that people from further afield are often unaware of exactly where Babergh is and even struggle over its pronunciation.
It is proposed that by renaming to South Suffolk, the council can be clear about who they are, where they are and what they represent – without confusion.
By having this discussion over a change of name now, the council can ensure there is enough time for any new name to go through the legal process in time to appear on Council Tax bills for 2020/21.
If a change of name is agreed, the council has pledged to will keep implementation costs to an absolute minimum, tying in with work already taking place examining how existing logos for both Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are used and involving councillors from all parties.
The meeting, which is due to take place at 6.30pm on Tuesday 22 October, will be open to the public and also live-streamed, with council papers publicly available on our website in advance.
We will, of course, keep you updated of developments and trust this information may be of interest in the meantime