West Suffolk
§ This page gives an overview of the West Suffolk local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ West Suffolk covers a broad swathe of the county, combining historic towns, chalk hills, and wide expanses of countryside. Bury St Edmunds, the main centre, is famed for its cathedral, abbey ruins, Georgian architecture, and cultural venues, offering a rich historic core. Newmarket, straddling the boundary with Cambridgeshire, is world-famous as the home of British horse racing, with its racecourses, training grounds, and equestrian heritage. Haverhill adds a modern, growing town to the mix, while smaller towns like Mildenhall and Brandon are surrounded by the heathlands and woodlands of The Brecks, an area of unique sandy soils and rare wildlife. The River Lark, River Kennet, and patches of rolling farmland create a varied geography, while villages dotted with medieval churches and timber-framed houses add rural charm. West Suffolk combines heritage, sporting tradition, and natural landscapes into a diverse district.
The administrative boundary of West Suffolk can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of West Suffolk.
Key Facts about West Suffolk
What region is West Suffolk in? West Suffolk is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is West Suffolk in? West Suffolk is located in the county of Suffolk.
Is West Suffolk a city? No, West Suffolk is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs West Suffolk? The local authority for this district is: West Suffolk Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Suffolk is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Suffolk County Council.
▶ Official website of West Suffolk Council 🔗 westsuffolk.gov.uk
Which police force covers West Suffolk? Policing in West Suffolk is provided by Suffolk Constabulary 🔗 suffolk.police.uk, which serves 5 local authority districts: Babergh ⁞ East Suffolk ⁞ Ipswich ⁞ Mid Suffolk ⁞ West Suffolk.
West Suffolk in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, West Suffolk is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) East of England
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Suffolk
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ West Suffolk
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in 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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in West Suffolk
West Suffolk is divided into 43 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Abbeygate
- Bardwell
- Barningham
- Barrow
- Brandon Central
- Brandon East
- Brandon West
- Chedburgh & Chevington
- Clare, Hundon & Kedington
- Eastgate
- Exning
- Haverhill Central
- Haverhill East
- Haverhill North
- Haverhill South
- Haverhill South East
- Haverhill West
- Horringer
- Iceni
- Ixworth
- Kentford & Moulton
- Lakenheath
- Manor
- Mildenhall Great Heath
- Mildenhall Kingsway & Market
- Mildenhall Queensway
- Minden
- Moreton Hall
- Newmarket East
- Newmarket North
- Newmarket West
- Pakenham & Troston
- Risby
- Rougham
- Southgate
- St Olaves
- Stanton
- The Fornhams & Great Barton
- The Rows
- Tollgate
- Westgate
- Whepstead & Wickhambrook
- Withersfield
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in West Suffolk
West Suffolk is fully parished: 103 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Ampton
- Bardwell
- Barnardiston
- Barnham
- Barningham
- Barrow
- Barton Mills
- Beck Row, Holywell Row and Kenny Hill
- Bradfield Combust with Stanningfield
- Bradfield St. Clare
- Bradfield St. George
- Brandon
- Brockley
- Bury St Edmunds
- Cavendish
- Cavenham
- Chedburgh
- Chevington
- Clare
- Coney Weston
- Cowlinge
- Culford
- Dalham
- Denham
- Denston
- Depden
- Elveden
- Eriswell
- Euston
- Exning
- Fakenham Magna
- Flempton
- Fornham All Saints
- Fornham St. Genevieve
- Fornham St. Martin
- Freckenham
- Gazeley
- Great Barton
- Great Bradley
- Great Livermere
- Great Thurlow
- Great Whelnetham
- Great Wratting
- Hargrave
- Haverhill
- Hawkedon
- Hawstead
- Hengrave
- Hepworth
- Herringswell
- Higham
- Honington
- Hopton
- Horringer
- Hundon
- Icklingham
- Ickworth
- Ingham
- Ixworth
- Ixworth Thorpe
- Kedington
- Kentford
- Knettishall
- Lackford
- Lakenheath
- Lidgate
- Little Bradley
- Little Livermere
- Little Thurlow
- Little Whelnetham
- Little Wratting
- Market Weston
- Mildenhall High
- Moulton
- Newmarket
- Nowton
- Ousden
- Pakenham
- Poslingford
- Red Lodge
- Rede
- Risby
- Rushbrooke with Rougham
- Santon Downham
- Sapiston
- Stansfield
- Stanton
- Stoke-by-Clare
- Stradishall
- The Saxhams
- Thelnetham
- Timworth
- Troston
- Tuddenham
- West Row
- West Stow
- Westley
- Whepstead
- Wickhambrook
- Withersfield
- Wixoe
- Wordwell
- Worlington
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in West Suffolk
West Suffolk covers 57 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ashley (East Cambridgeshire) *
- Bardwell
- Barnham (West Suffolk)
- Barningham
- Barrow (West Suffolk)
- Barton Mills
- Beck Row
- Brandon (West Suffolk) *
- Bury St Edmunds
- Cavendish *
- Chedburgh
- Chevington
- Clare *
- Cock and End
- Coney Weston
- Culford
- Exning
- Fakenham Magna
- Fornham All Saints
- Fornham St Martin
- Freckenham
- Gazeley
- Great Barton
- Haverhill *
- Holywell Row
- Hopton
- Horringer
- Hundon
- Icklingham
- Ingham (West Suffolk)
- Ixworth
- Kedington
- Kentford *
- Lackford
- Lakenheath
- Landwade *
- Lidgate
- Little Eriswell
- Longfield Green
- Market Weston
- Mildenhall (West Suffolk)
- Moulton (West Suffolk)
- Newmarket *
- Ousden
- Pakenham *
- Red Lodge *
- Risby
- Sicklesmere
- Snailwell *
- Stanton (West Suffolk)
- Stoke-by-Clare
- Thurston *
- Tuddenham
- Upthorpe (West Suffolk) *
- West Row
- Wickhambrook
- Worlington
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of West Suffolk.)
West Suffolk compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how West Suffolk compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
West Suffolk has 43 electoral wards.
West Suffolk has a population of 188,485 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for West Suffolk can be found on the ONS statistics for West Suffolk.