Lowestoft Town Council
Due to the passing of Councillor Susan Barnard, a vacancy has arisen in the Office of Councillor for the Town Council, within the ward of Gunton. A by-election to fill the vacancy will be held if ten electors for the ward give notice in writing claiming such an election to the Returning Officer not later than Thursday 18th March 2021.
Where ten valid requests for a by-election are received then under the provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020 and The Local Government and Police and Crime Commissioner (Coronavirus) (Postponement of Elections and Referendums) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 the by-election will not currently take place, and the vacancy will be held open until the by-election takes place. The 2020 regulations provide for the by-election to take place on the date for the Ordinary Election of Councillors due to be held on Thursday 6 May 2021. However, this date may be brought forward or deferred by the Government depending upon the circumstances. Any Election that is in due course called will be duly publicised as required by law.
The Addresses of the Returning Officer is:
First Floor 2 Canning Road Lowestoft NR33 0EQ
East Suffolk Council has to review its conservation areas, which includes boundary revisions where deemed necessary. A revised North Lowestoft Conservation Area Appraisal Draft document has been produced and the Council would like to ask you for your comments on this document, which includes proposed changes to the Conservation Area boundary. The fieldwork was undertaken in 2018/2019 from public thoroughfares and open spaces and this work was supplemented with information from published material and map regression studies.
The documents are available on East Suffolk Council website.
The Zoom link and the Annual Assembly of the Town Agenda is now available to view. Additionally, the minutes of the 2020 Annual Assembly of the Town are available to view.
The Annual Assembly of the Town was hosted through a video meeting via Zoom on Tuesday 2 March 2021 @ 19:00 PM, with 30 members of the public attending. The recording of the meeting is still available to view on the Town Council’s YouTube channel.
A wide range of organisations provided written reports ahead of the meeting, representatives attending and answering questions from the public. See below the collection of written reports:
East Suffolk Council Leader's Report 2021
Friends of Kensington Gardens Report 2021
Gainsborough Drive Pond Group Report 2021
Jack Rose Old Lowestoft Society Report 2021
Lowestoft and Plaisir Twinning Association Report 2021
Lowestoft in Bloom Report 2021
Lowestoft Maritime Museum Report 2021
The Lowestoft Players Report 2021
In the meeting, Tim Passmore noted how the precept and Operation Uplift is impacting on policing in the county. The Commissioner noted the monitoring of the plans for this additional investment and all relevant information is on the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner website.
At the meeting there were many inciteful and important questions asked by attendees to representatives and Council officers, see an overview of these questions and answers from the Assembly - 2021 Annual Assembly Questions and Answers
Unfortunately, owing to the adverse weather conditions from last week, all play equipment and park furniture at The Ness should not be used until further notice. It is currently being assessed for safety and the Town Council will advise further at the earliest opportunity. However, owing to COVID-19 affecting suppliers and services, it may be some time until the play area can be put back into use.
UPDATE | September 2023: The full results for Census 2021 are now available to view online. The results were released in different phases from June 2022 to September 2023.
Census 2021 is taking place on 21 March 2021 - by filling in your census, you will help shape your community for the next 10 years. Census 2021 will give information to improve the overall understanding of the pandemic. It will also help to make sure that the services you use meet the needs of our changing society, this could include hospitals, schools, universities and job centres.
Census 2021 is a digital-first census, which means that you will be encouraged to respond online if possible using any device to complete the census. If you need help, there will be an online help area on the Census website, as well as offering help by phone, webchat, email, social media or text message. Importantly, law protects your census information.
In East Suffolk there are two dedicated ‘Census Support Centres’ (CSC) – one at the Marina Centre in Lowestoft which will be operated by staff from East Suffolk Customer Service, and one at the Station House in Campsea Ashe operated by the social enterprise. These centres will not be open to the public, due to Government restrictions, however telephone assistance will be available to help complete the Census form and/or answer any general enquiries. To contact the Marina Centre CSC: 01502 523523 and for Station House, Campsea Ashe CSC: 07856810828.
To find out more and/or to download helpful resources, these are available on the Census website, or see below the following helpful documents for your knowledge:
Your Questions Answered Leaflet
Thanks to the support of Suffolk Community Foundation, a new support service for older people in Suffolk launched on Monday 8th February 2021. Later Life Community Connect is a single point of access telephone support line with a person at the end of the phone. This service being available between 10 AM – 2 PM, seven days a week. Offering the following:
Different from the Information & Advice Service Age UK Suffolk previously provided, this is based on a person centric model with open-ended questions and a listening ear. This service is about working collaboratively to ensure that the caller gets the support that is needed. Later Life Community strive to become the advocate for older people in Suffolk and offering support and advise.
Unfortunately, owing to adverse weather conditions, the play area on The Ness Park has been affected and should not be used at this time. It is currently being assessed for safety. However, owing to the current problems with weather and COVID-19 affecting suppliers and services, it may be some time until the play area can be put back into use. We will advise further at the earliest opportunity.
As a coastal town, Lowestoft faces the difficulties of flooding every year in many zones of the town. With weather forecasts predicting rain and snow over coming weeks, see latest Met Office UK Weather Warnings.
Suffolk County Council has gathered useful information on how they maintain drainage systems to reduce the risk of standing water on public pathways and roads, how flooding is managed in Suffolk and the responsibilities individuals and organisations have upon dealing with floods, and how to prepare in the event of a flood within your property or local area. Details available on Suffolk County Council Website.
Find out how to report a flood problem, which service will need to be contacted, and what will happen after you have reported the problem. Matters including, whom to contact about a blocked drain or flooding on the A11, A12 and A14 roads in Suffolk. Further details available.
