News that the government is hoping to reform local councils in Suffolk has been welcomed by the county's largest business organisation.

But the Suffolk Chamber wants ministers to put their foot on the gas and not delay decisions which could cause uncertainty.

And it is keen to ensure that the changes show a clear direction for the county to develop in the future.

Paul Simon from the chamber said: “Whilst there has already been a fair amount of speculation as to what the Devolution White Paper might contain, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce looks forward to analysing the details and what any future arrangements might mean for the county’s business community.

“Suffolk Chamber does, however, have a clear set of principles against which we will evaluate any proposals:

"Be bold and meaningful:  the initial tranche of powers and funding taken from Whitehall must be significant in order to counter the historic underfunding of the county by successive governments.

"One in, one out: in order to minimise unnecessary bureaucracy and complexity, any new tier of local or regional government needs to be matched by the removal of another.

"A clear pathway: there needs to be a clearly articulated devolution pathway showing what further powers and funding might be on offer beyond this first settlement

"Don’t hang around: any devolution process needs to be as quickly and smoothly implemented to avoid unnecessary confusion, introspection and missed opportunities.”

Mark Ling fears the needs of Ipswich could be forgotten in the local government reorganisation.Mark Ling fears the needs of Ipswich could be forgotten in the local government reorganisation. (Image: Mark Ling)

Ipswich businessman Mark Ling has had concerns about the town's lack of political and economic clout over many years and has his own concerns.

He said: "I get the need to reduce the inefficiencies, but Ipswich has suffered for decades because decisions are made about it by county councillors who have no real interest in the town.

"I would like to see three elected councils - East Suffolk, West Suffolk and Greater Orwell including Ipswich and Felixstowe.

"They could all share the same administration - bin collection, planners, other services - but when decisions were made it would be in the interests of the urban area."

He was also concerned that a regional mayor would ultimately lead to all decisions favouring Norfolk and Norwich rather than people in the Ipswich area.