Mayor's update - October 2025

This month our focus is on the work of our Climate and Ecological Emergency Committee, chaired by Deputy Mayor, Cllr. Ellie Beck. Unlike our others, this Committee has voting members that are residents of Woodbridge with 6 Councillors and 6 public members. It is a model that works well.

There are two recent projects of note that have been widely supported by the Town. The first was the response to making Kingston Field more secure against vehicle access. Instead of opting for fencing, the Committee recommended planting a new hedge and some extra trees. The work was done with the support of Botanica in Campsea Ashe and the planting plan is beginning to take great shape. One challenge - we underestimated that at the height of summer it requires 40,000 litres of water a week. So, for next summer we’ve agreed to install a couple of solar pumps from the stream at the edge of Kingston Field which is fed by a spring in the Nottcutt’s area, so the water levels remain constant.

The second project is the new boardwalk in Fen Meadow. We’ve received many positive comments as it keeps the path open over land that can become very boggy. Furthermore, the Committee has now adopted a set of actions that are aimed at developing the biodiversity of Fen Meadow which will enhance its “wilder” green space. To this end we’ve had the results of the latest town survey on the Fen Meadow playground, and your consensus is to develop the existing playground on the current site. So, we’ve listened to you - and we won’t be moving it!

Another area of focus is water. How do you retain water and tackle surface flooding in Woodbridge? A small factoid that we stumbled across during a flood risk meeting with Suffolk County Council and Anglia Water: the highest rainfall during storm Babet in October 2023 fell two metres to the north of the A12 near Woodbridge. Had it been this side of the A12, the story might have been very different. Other Suffolk towns and villages suffered considerable damage. The other risk is of course storm surges from the river. Your Town Council does not classify either of these risks as red risks, but they are certainly amber, and we do not have the budget to mitigate these risks. However, we are reviewing our emergency arrangements should the flood barrier fail at Whisstocks and examining ways of better capturing rainfall from the Council’s properties – something we should all be thinking about.

The Committee is active in other areas and is driven by the belief that at a local level there are things we can do that can add up to something big in the fight to mitigate climate change – tree cover and increasing local production of food to name just two.

And a date for your diary. The annual Remembrance Day ceremonies are coming up with the main one being on Sunday 9th November at 11am at the War emorial. A children’s service will be held on Friday 7th November and on Saturday there will be a Remembrance ceremony at the New Cemetery war graves.

(Remembrance photo credit – Berry Photographics).

Councillor Nigel Phipps

CouncillorPhipps@woodbridge-suffolk.gov.uk

Mayor of Woodbridge