Cllr Steve Wiles

31/10/2026

An interesting evening ahead.
I will be commenting on the Pump Track (agenda item 14)
Full agenda in the comments...

Meetings of the Town Council and its Committees are open to the press and public who are welcome to attend. Members of the public are invited to make representations or put questions to the Committee during the public session. There is a limit to the number of public attending in-person. If you wish...

31/10/2026

Happy Halloween from Felixstowe...

30/10/2026

The service still needs more closure powers !

It's illegal to sell any v**e or ni****ne product to under-18s anywhere in the UK 🚫

This will help protect children and young people from ni****ne addiction, as part of the To***co and Vapes Act.

Here's what's changed:

✅ The under-18s sales ban now covers all v**es and ni****ne products, including pouches, strips, pearls and ni****ne-free v**es

✅ Adults who buy, or try to buy these products for anyone under 18 are committing an offence

✅ No more giveaways or substantial discounts

✅ No more vending-machine sales of v**es or ni****ne products

✅ Rogue retailers can be hit with fixed penalty notices for a range of offences

The health advice still stands though: va**ng is less harmful than smoking and can help adult smokers quit, but it isn't risk-free.

If you don't smoke, don't v**e. Children should never v**e.

29/10/2026

More on the subject...

By the time a decision is finally taken, and an election to the new governing authority/authorities is decided - there will have been a shift away from those that formulated and articulated the original business case.

I remember clearly finishing a cabinet speech on LGR by saying "we need to put the people of Suffolk before politics" hmm.

Suffolk's two-tier system is almost certainly finished, and a single county-wide authority is the likeliest replacement. But the county council's leader is not ready to accept that the choice is limited to the two business cases already sitting on ministers' desks.

Get the full detail: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/all-roads-lead-to-one-suffolk-council-unless-its-leader-finds-another/

29/10/2026

"The Government said local elections for new shadow councils – which would facilitate the transition between the two systems – would take place in May 2028, before the new councils could formally take over in 2029":

District elections in 2027 (limited period)
Unitary and Mayoral elections in 2028 (perhaps ?)
General Election, and vesting day for the new unitary council (no County Council, no District/Borough Authorities)in 2029

Not holding my breath!

Leaders have been reacting.

29/10/2026

More confusion ...
The current 2 tier authority system in Suffolk is seen as being financially unsustainable, it is agreed, that - a change is needed.
After almost 2 years of chopping and changing announced decisions, the future of Suffolk is still unsure. Mayor elections announced then changed. LGR announced, then changed. Elections suspended, then happened. Now we have another complete "about turn", County Council back, District Council elections promised for May 27 but no guarantee for how long.
But what about the residents of Suffolk?
The bottom line.
"Some" are now realising that winning an election, and being capable of running an authority, are two very different things.

Providing services efficiently is an absolute minimum.

May elections ahead.
An opportunity to have your say on the chaos.

Little wonder residents are/have now lost confidence.

A winter of problems and cuts ahead.

Elections for new councils have been set for 2028 as the Government sticks by major reforms which could see Suffolk split into three.

28/10/2026

EDIT. CANCELLED...Please be advised that the Be Well Bus visit to Great Eastern Square, Felixstowe, scheduled for tomorrow (29 October), has unfortunately been cancelled due to a mechanical issue with the vehicle.

The Project Coordinator will arrange an alternative date, and Kirsty and I will share the new details as soon as they are confirmed.

The" Be Well Bus" is back, and will be visiting Felixstowe this Thursday between 10am and 2:30pm at Great Eastern Square.

28/10/2026

A quick Budget round-up...

Key Announcements & Measures

Energy & Bills:
£100 Payment: Direct £100 winter energy support payment for roughly 20 million households in council tax bands A to D.

Standing Charges: Scrapping gas bill standing charges (saving roughly £45 on average) and extending the VAT cut on electricity bills through July.

Green Levies: Moving the hydrogen project levy off household energy bills and onto general taxation.

Taxes & Business:
Bank Surcharge: Increasing the profit surcharge on banks from 3% to 6% for a 15-month period starting in January.

Business Rates:
Raising the Small Business Rate Relief threshold in England from £12,000 to £18,000 for retail, hospitality, and leisure.

Gaming & Tourism:
Increasing Machine Games Duty from 20% to 25% on higher-stakes machines, and allowing mayors (such as in London) to introduce an overnight visitor levy from 2028.

ISAs:
Abandoning the previous plan to cut the tax-free cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £12,000.

Food Tariffs:
Removing import tariffs from over 100 food items (including items like baked beans and gherkins).

Welfare, Pensions & Wages:
Minimum Wage:
Statutory minimum wage set to rise by 3.9%.

Carer’s Allowance:
Tapering Carer's Allowance rather than cutting it completely if earners go past the £204/week threshold.

Triple Lock Reform:
Modifying the state pension triple lock from 2030 so it tracks inflation and 2.5%, excluding average earnings growth.

Growth & Public Finances (OBR Forecasts):
GDP Growth:
Forecast at 1.2% for 2026, dropping to 1.0% in 2027, before recovering to 1.6% in 2028.

Borrowing & Debt:
Public borrowing is projected to fall to 4.2% of GDP this year and reach 2.9% by 2028–29, with the current budget deficit aimed to be eliminated within three years.

Fiscal Headroom:
Projected at £15 billion in 2029–30, rising to £22 billion in 2030–31

My evaluation:
Disappointing for most !

28/10/2026

"Rewiring the state"

What to look out for...

The Fiscal Devolution Roadmap is launching alongside the Budget, laying out the precise mechanisms for how councils will begin retaining local business rates starting April 2027, followed by mayoral authorities directly retaining a percentage of local income tax starting April 2028.

It will also formalise the legislative timetable to redraw public service boundaries and completely eliminate "devolution deserts" by 2028

This is expected to be fully published immediately following the conclusion of the Budget processes.

I will pick out important points ...

28/10/2026

Interesting day ahead .
Budget and news of an important white paper.

Early announcement...

End of gas bill standing charges

The move - due to take effect next year "or as soon as possible" - will save 60% of households an average of £45 per year, according to the Treasury

But there will be winners and losers, as the costs will be added to the unit price of gas - meaning higher users will pay more than they currently do.

Very little help there.

Chancellor John Healey announced that the government is scrapping standing charges on gas bills for tens of millions of people which is estimated to save 60% of households £45 per year.

Read more: https://bbc.in/4AjBIpt