THE newly elected leader of Babergh District Council has spelled out the need for targeted action to support residents and communities amid serious funding challenges.

Cllr Deborah Saw will lead the Green, Independent and Liberal Democrat coalition administration - replacing Cllr John Ward, who had been leader for the last year.

She was elected at last night's Annual Council Meeting (Tuesday, 12 May), with the rotation in leadership a part of the coalition agreement.

Cllr Saw told the meeting Babergh wanted to leave a positive legacy ahead of Local Government Reorganisation in 2028, when the current county, district and borough councils in Suffolk will be replaced by three new unitary councils.

"We have 23 months left. Let's make them count," she said. "All of us want to leave a legacy that will benefit our successor unitaries but most particularly our residents and our staff."

Funding remains a serious challenge, however, with Babergh facing a £7.7m budget gap in the next five years. Cllr Saw said the government's financial settlement for the council would see a net funding cut over the next three years.

"Urban councils did much better out of the government settlement, receiving 32% more per head than rural councils. By 2028/9 urban councils will have received a 20% increase in government funding compared to only 2% in rural areas. You don't need to be an economist to see the implications of that," she told the meeting.

Cllr Saw added: "At the heart of everything we do must be our dedication to creating and maintaining resilient, sustainable, healthy communities with good design at their core and strengthening community connection and collaboration.

"As a council we make a difference, but we need to ensure our programmes are well-targeted and well communicated."

Priorities in the coming year included ongoing improvements to council housing and formally starting work on a new Joint Local Plan to shape the future of the district.

Cllr Saw also outlined the council's desire to support young people in the district.

"Currently in Babergh we are a low wage, low productivity area where young people don't always get the opportunities they need and deserve to gain the skills they will require to sustain employment in the future. In partnership with further education colleges and businesses we will ensure that our young people at least get good work experiences and in some cases apprenticeships."

Earlier, Cllr John Ward, who will now be deputy leader, outlined some of the council's work in the last year.

These included the designation of a new conservation area in Bentley, hosting the Men's Tour of Britain cycling race, innovative action to help the owners of listed buildings make them more energy efficient, approving Suffolk's Local Nature Recovery Strategy, and continuing a grants programme which made a "huge difference" to local groups and residents.

Cllr Lee Parker was elected as the new council chair, with Cllr Elisabeth Malvisi elected vice-chair.