Last weekend’s re-opening of cafes, pubs and restaurants seems to have gone well across Ipswich. Our businesses have made huge efforts to re-open in a ‘Covid-Secure’ manner and I’m really pleased with the good natured way customers have adapted to the new ways of operating. As the weather – hopefully – gets warmer in the coming weeks, and there is more to enjoy we need to remember to stick to the rules on social distancing. The best way to support the local economy is to avoid behaviours which could allow a second wave of the virus to take hold.

“This week, we published our Emergency Budget proposals to bridge the unprecedented £10m hole in our budget that Coronavirus has created. This is the worst situation Ipswich Borough Council has faced in all my time as a councillor. It has required us to take some tough, but necessary, decisions to ensure the future financial viability of the Council. We are still waiting for the details of how much additional money we can expect from Government. I need to be clear now that, if we don’t receive as much from the Government as anticipated, or if the long-term impact of the virus on the Council’s finances is worse than predicted,  then we will have to bring forward further cuts which will inevitably be more painful than our current proposals.