Suffolk
§ This page provides an overview of an England's ceremonial county. Our website has 48 such county pages.
Overview ⁞ Suffolk is a largely rural and coastal county in the East of England, known for its historic market towns, low-lying landscapes, and heritage coast. The county town is Ipswich, one of England’s oldest towns, while other notable places include Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft, and Felixstowe—the UK’s busiest container port. The county blends agriculture, tourism, and maritime industry, and is administered by Suffolk County Council along with several district and borough councils.
Is Suffolk a historic county? Yes—Suffolk is a historic county. Administratively, it is a shire county made up of three district/borough councils: East Suffolk, Ipswich, and West Suffolk.
Suffolk has 5 Local Authority Districts. The chart below shows how this compares with other counties in England.
Local Authorities in Suffolk
- Suffolk County Council (County Council) 🔗 suffolk.gov.uk
- Babergh District Council (District Council) 🔗 babergh.gov.uk
- East Suffolk Council (District Council) 🔗 eastsuffolk.gov.uk
- Ipswich Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 ipswich.gov.uk
- Mid Suffolk District Council (District Council) 🔗 midsuffolk.gov.uk
- West Suffolk Council (District Council) 🔗 westsuffolk.gov.uk
Suffolk, in England’s East of England region, has a two-tier system of local government with Suffolk County Council delivering county-wide services such as education, transport, and social care, supported by five district and borough councils that manage local responsibilities like planning, housing, and waste collection. These are Babergh District Council, East Suffolk Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, and West Suffolk Council. Ipswich is the county town and operates as a borough council, while East Suffolk and West Suffolk were formed from recent mergers of former districts. Together, the county and district councils provide governance across a county that includes the historic town of Bury St Edmunds, the port of Felixstowe, the market towns of Sudbury and Stowmarket, and extensive rural and coastal landscapes, ensuring a balance between strategic services and local decision-making.
Districts in Suffolk
(ITL 1) East of England
(ITL 2) ⇒ Suffolk
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Babergh and Mid Suffolk ⁞ Ipswich ⁞ East Suffolk ⁞ West Suffolk
Constituencies in Suffolk
- Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
- Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
- Ipswich
- Lowestoft
- South Suffolk
- Suffolk Coastal
- Waveney Valley
- West Suffolk
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 8 of them are in Suffolk.