Lowestoft Town Council
Your Council Tax is made up of contributions to your local councils (Suffolk County Council, East Suffolk Council, Lowestoft Town Council and Suffolk Police.)
The money raised through the Council Tax helps manage and develop services and assets in your town and deliver on our commitments to you.
For 2025-2026 Lowestoft Town Council's budget will be £2,413,263. For a Band D property this is £181.23 per year. This is a 13% increase on the cost to each household compared to the 2024-2025 precept (£2,090,222 which was £160.38 for Band D).
This equates to £3.49 per week for a Band D property, and provides:
Free-to-access Bulky Waste Collection Scheme
Food and Social Relief funding and Grant funding to local organisations and charities
Maintenance of your local parks and open spaces, including investing in improvements to these
Free-to-access sports and fitness activities alongside free use of our sports facilities
A full calendar of free-to-access events throughout the year
Support to the Marina Theatre, providing a leisure and cultural offer to the Town.
Writing about the Town Council's budget for 2025/26, the Mayor of Lowestoft, Cllr Nasima Begum said:
"As Lowestoft Town Council enters its ninth year since being formed, it is amazing to think how far we have come in delivering our ambitions for Lowestoft.
In 2024, we continued our work to bring the Town Hall back into community use with construction expected to start in 2025, saw major refurbishment on the Marina Theatre start, and partnered with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to see all of our tennis facilities refurbished whilst keeping them free-to-access. We’ve also continued to grow our dedicated team of staff as we bring more of our grounds maintenance work in-house and bring a wider range of events and activities to the town.
2025 will see us deliver more for the people of Lowestoft. Over the coming year, we have plans to continue our schedule of play area improvements with Thirlmere Walk receiving a refurbishment, deliver more free-to-access events and activities (including Lowestoft Pride, VE Day and free sports sessions), and make our successful trial of the Bulky Waste Collection Scheme for residents of Lowestoft a permanent service to help reduce fly-tipping and restore pride in our town.
We have also increased our Food and Social Relief budget which has supported many food banks and pantries over the past year, whilst also maintaining our Community Grants budget to support local organisations.
There are many ways for people to engage with the Town Council, whether it be by attending meetings in-person or online, coming along to our events or activities, or interacting with us on social media. Everyone is welcome to share their views and ideas as we continue our aim of being the voice for the people of Lowestoft."
To find out more about our commitments for 2025/26, you can read our Council Tax leafelt.
The first major construction milestone for the Town Hall regeneration project begins this week following Lowestoft Town Council’s appointment of Barnes Construction to undertake the main construction work. The work will initially see the installation of scaffolding around the building as work to bring the Lowestoft Town Hall back into community use begins.
The installation of scaffolding will take several weeks and marks the first visual signs of work on the Town Hall which will open in late 2026. This follows an extensive period of public consultation on the future use of the Town Hall and its designs, which have been finalised by HAT Projects, and work to secure external funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Towns Fund and East Suffolk Council.
Cllr Nasima Begum, Mayor of Lowestoft said, “With scaffolding going up around the Town Hall, it is an exciting time for Lowestoft as this project comes to fruition. I am grateful to everyone who has contributed towards this project, including members of the public for their support along the way, and all our funding partners. This is just the start of the work and, whilst there are still some milestones to go, I cannot wait to see the completed regeneration of this iconic building in our High Street.”
Mark Hart, Joint Managing Director of Barnes Construction said: “We are thrilled to have been appointed by Lowestoft Town Council to deliver the refurbishment of the Town Hall and restore its community focus. We are privileged to have been entrusted with such a significant opportunity to ensure that the civic benefits are felt widely and deeply. We are also delighted to have been awarded the opportunity as main contractor for Lowestoft Post Office, working with East Suffolk Council to repurpose a historical building and make creative use of its original function. It’s an exciting chapter for the future landscape of the town and we are incredibly pleased to be a part of it”.
Robyn Llewellyn, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “We’re excited for construction work to get underway at Lowestoft Town Hall. Thanks to National Lottery players, who have made possible total funding from us of nearly £4.5million, the communities of Lowestoft and beyond will see a local landmark be revitalised into a bustling community space that celebrates local culture.”
Cllr Caroline Topping, Leader of East Suffolk Council and Heritage Champion, said: “This is a big step in the regeneration of Lowestoft Town Hall and its transformation into a multifunctional space for the community. East Suffolk Council has shown its support for the project through direct investment of £1.2million to help breathe new life into the building and welcome the public back through its doors.”
Throughout the project, Barnes Construction will be holding several drop-in sessions to given members of the public the opportunity to ask questions on the project and to have any questions or queries answered. The first session will be taking place on Thursday 27th March, 4pm-6pm at 91 High Street.
The work to renovate the Town Hall will provide a compelling and innovative heritage exhibition, gallery space with a changing programme of exhibitions and events, wedding and reception venue with catering facilities, co-working space for sole traders and small businesses, a café, and additional community event space. Improving the accessibility to the Town Hall is included within the plans with a more open reception area, accessible toilet facilities, including a Changing Places room and lifts. The Town Hall will also become the home for Lowestoft Town Council, hosting the Council meetings and staff offices, and Suffolk Registrars. Once completed, the Town Hall will be a major employer in the area alongside offering apprenticeship opportunities. During the construction stage, the project will also be a major local employer with Barnes Construction committed to ensuring local people are involved, whilst there will also be opportunities for work placements with opportunities for six people to learn about heritage building techniques.
The Lowestoft Town Hall Project is a Lowestoft Town Council initiative supported by National Lottery players via The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Other significant funders for the regeneration include Towns Fund and East Suffolk Council.
Read more on Construction Work Starts on Town Hall Regeneration Project
Lowestoft Town Council have several opportunities to join our team:
Multi skilled grounds maintenance people are required to join our grounds and building maintenance team. As experienced and practical gardeners/horticulturists, you will help us maintain our parks, open spaces and buildings in an environmentally positive way.
Environmental Support Officers
This role will suit people who enjoy the outdoors and care about litter-free and clean public open spaces and buildings. You will keep our parks and public buildings clean and tidy and improve the environment as well as being important role models. These are temporary posts for six months.
Drivers with own cars are preferred however, non-drivers will be considered as long as they can get to sites independently, as required.
Some weekend and other out of normal hours work may be required.
Application Deadline for both roles: 21 March 2025
Contact us for further information, recruitment packs or to request an informal discussion with the Acting Town Clerk about the role.
admin@lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk
0330 053 6019
