Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils have approved plans to formally merge and create a new ‘super district’ council.
If approved by the Department of Communities and Local Government, it will be the first time two districts have merged since local government re-organisation in 1974
Cllr Ray Herring, leader of Suffolk Coastal District Council, said: ‘By creating a new, larger and more influential council, we will be able to keep costs down, enabling us to maintain and improve the services that local people depend on.
‘Working in partnership has already helped the councils save over £16m since 2010. However, further savings cannot be made unless the partnership progresses further. A new, merged, council will be better placed to address the shared challenges that both councils face.’
The two councils - which have been sharing a chief executive since 2008 - will now start the formal process of merger. If approved, the two councils will then be formally dissolved with elections to the new authority in May 2019.
