Thorpe Morieux Parish Council – Latest News and General Notices

If you are looking for general information relating to the function of the Parish Council, wish to raise an issue for the council’s attention or simply wish to attend meetings, please refer to the Parish Council page which provides further information.

General notices relating to the functions of the council or general information that is useful to the village community will be hosted here. To report a highways issue, including potholes please go to the Highways Reporting Tool

Latest news

PCC Update – August 2026

Welcome to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s August update.

In this short update we introduce the interim Chief Constable and give an update on the Constabulary’s recent inspection, we have details of the next round of public meetings where you can quiz the PCC and the Chief Constable and invite you to attend the PCC’s accountability meeting where he publicly monitors the Constabulary’s performance.  We hope you find this useful.

Interim Chief appointed to lead the Constabulary

The PCC has identified an acting Chief Constable to lead the Suffolk Constabulary on an interim basis.   Mark Webster, recently retired Chief Constable from Cleveland, will lead the Constabulary while the PCC continues his search for a substantive Chief Constable for Suffolk. 

More detail:  PCC announces interim Acting Chief Constable

 Work to do following HMICFRS inspection

 His Majesty’s inspectorate of Constabulary has completed an inspection of Suffolk Constabulary looking at the effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy of the force.

The report, published earlier this month, highlights the good and picks out areas requiring improvement. It is a snap-shot at a particular point in time and therefore some things highlighted are already in the process of being improved. The investment in the Contact and Control Room has been recognised and the good work in our neighbourhood policing which is great news as the PCC believes this is the cornerstone of policing in the county.

For more detail go to:  Inspector reviews Constabulary performance

 Have you got a burning question for the Constabulary or the PCC?

 Do you have a question about policing that you’d like an answer to, or are you interested to learn more about policing in the county?  If the answer to either of these questions is yes, you are invited to join the PCC at one of the public meetings planned across the county over the coming two months. 

There will be meetings in Lowestoft, Newmarket, Stowmarket and at Police HQ in Martlesham.  There will also be an on-line meeting in November.

The PCC and a senior officer will give an update on policing and will be available to answer questions.  

More detail available here:  Meetings and events

 Online reporting

The Constabulary’s priority is to ensure you can reach them quickly in an emergency, they are therefore asking people to consider the most appropriate way to get in touch. 
The 999 number should only be used when there is risk to life or safety, or a crime is in progress.  For non-emergency matters it’s 101 or you could make use of the digital services. Online reporting is a quick and convenient way to report crimes that have already happened or are not urgent. You can also get advice and support using Live Chat.  Please consider the online options as this helps manage demand effectively and ensure the phone lines are free for those who need urgent assistance.

Fuller detail here:   PCC encourages online reporting as a convenient alternative

 Accountability and Performance

 If you are interested to see how the PCC holds the Chief Constable to account on your behalf you can attend the next Accountability and Performance Panel on Friday 4 September at 9.30am.  If you wish to attend, please email katherine.boswell@suffolk.police.uk by 3.30pm on Wednesday 2 September 2026 stating whether you are attending in person or would like to join via Microsoft Teams.

There is an opportunity for public questions at the beginning of the meeting.

Further details are here:   Accountability and Performance Panel

Sandra Graffham

Assistant Chief Executive & Head of Communications

Office of the PCC

 

14th August 2026 – The 2025/26 Annual Report of the Suffolk Police and Crime Panel has now been published, and is available on the County Council’s website at the following link: 

Suffolk-PCP-Annual-Report-2025-2026. 

The report gives an overview of the work of the Panel over the previous year.

20th July 2026 – Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza – National Survey – The Big Future

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, is  very keen to hear from children/young people in our parished areas. Please ask your young people to fill in her National Survey – The Big Future. The survey link is here (https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-future/ ). Please feel free to forward the link on to all youth and children’s organisations in your parished areas and ask them to complete the survey by latest end play on 23 October 2026.

1st July 2026 – Latest Police Crime Commissioners Update: PCC update – July 2026

2nd June 2026 – Help shape the future of Babergh and Mid Suffolk

Babergh and Mid-Suffolk District Council are creating a new Joint Local Plan that will help deliver sustainable
communities for future generations.
The plan will guide decisions about community facilities, jobs, infrastructure, town centres, the best places for new homes, transport improvements and protecting the environment.

Your voice matters
Tell them what’s most important to you about the place where you live.
Help shape the future of Babergh and Mid Suffolk
Take the survey using this link:

Survey

or by scanning the QR code on this poster:  Your District – Your Future – Your say – poster 

Consultation open now until 31 July 2026

1st June 2026 – New recycling and food waste collections start from 1 June

  • The rollout of new bins and food waste caddies is mostly complete, with around 380,000 items delivered to 94,000 homes.
  • Some households have been missed. The councils expect to finish delivering remaining bins by the end of next week.
  • Residents who haven’t received their bins should email recycling@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk or call 0300 1234 000 (option 4).

If bins haven’t arrived yet:

  • Continue using existing bins until the new ones arrive.
  • Food waste should continue going in the black bin until a food waste caddy is received.
  • Residents should still follow the new collection schedule

Collections

  • Existing collection days and crews are not changing.
  • The new weekly food waste service is being run mainly by new SERCO staff, who may need time to learn routes.
  • Some missed food waste collections are expected during the first few weeks.

If a food waste bin is missed:

  • Report it by emailing recycling@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk or calling 0300 1234 000 (option 4).
  • The council will try to return and empty it as soon as possible, or ensure it is collected the following week.

What to expect

  • The councils expect the new system to take around 6 weeks (two full collection cycles) to settle down.
  • Extra staff and resources are in place to deal with any issues during the transition.

General Notices

Suffolk County Council – Report a Highways issue, including Potholes

To report a highways issue please go to: Highways Reporting Tool

Bin Collection Information

To see the most up to date information about bin collections please visit babergh.gov.uk/waste-services/collection-days

Changes to recycling and bin collections coming in 2026

Babergh District Council – Facebook post regarding changes to bin collections

Dog Fouling

To report any incidents of a dog fouling and the person not picking up after the dog has fouled please go to: https://www.babergh.gov.uk/report-dog-fouling

Energy Efficiency Advice

Any householder who lives in a house with an EPC of less than C can claim a voucher to have a qualified retrofit assessor come to their home and give them a plan as how to increase the energy efficiency of their home. More information here. All funded by Suffolk Councils

Home Energy Efficiency Assessment Voucher Scheme in Suffolk – Suffolk County Council

Farm Security

Suffolk Constabulary have issued a helpful self assessment security checklist for farm and land owners to help optimise security and prevent theft. The self assessment guide can be downloaded as a PDF file: Suffolk Constabulary Security Self Assessment.

If you have any questions or suggestions for improvements, please notify the Parish Clerk who will consolidate comments and pass this to the constabulary liaison in the rural policing team.

Fly Tipping

To report any incidents of fly tipping, please go to: https://www.babergh.gov.uk/report-fly-tipping

Free home survey to find out how best to stop heat leaks from your home 

Suffolk Public Sector Leaders are offering home owners a free or discounted “retrofit” assessment. The only criteria is that your home’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band must be below C.

You can apply online at suffolkenergyassessment.co.uk  

You can check your home’s EPC on gov.uk/find-energy-certificate.

The approved retrofit assessor will identify the best measures for your home, eg insulation, draft proofing, ventilation repairs, heat pumps or solar panels. They will also give you a cost:benefit analysis of any measure recommended.

It is free if your property is smaller than 98m2 There is a maximum fee of £30 for larger homes.

Loft Insulation Offer for Suffolk Residents

For the second year running, Suffolk’s Public Sector Leaders are providing funding to help Suffolk residents make their homes warmer and save money on their energy bills by providing discounted loft insulation – an uninsulated home can lose up to a quarter of its heat through its roof. The Suffolk Loft Insulation Offer enables homeowners in Suffolk to receive a 50% discount (up to £200) and free delivery on orders of 200mm or 370mm wide eco-friendly thermal insulation rolls from High Loft, the UK’s leading eco loft insulation brand. Last year, the project enabled the insulation of over 5,000m² of roofs in Suffolk, and this year the Suffolk Climate Change Partnership wants to double that figure. The offer is open to anyone in Suffolk and will only close once the allocated funding has been spent. Visit https://highloft.co.uk/pages/suffolk-council-200-loft-insulation-contribution and fill in the form to receive your discount code. 

Planning

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are jointly proposing to introduce changes designed to make it faster and easier for residents to improve the thermal efficiency of windows in Grade II Listed Buildings (but not Grade I or Grade II* Listed Buildings).b For further information, including how to respond to this consultation, please use the following links:

https://www.babergh.gov.uk/llbco

PCC publishes policing plan for the next four years

Tim Passmore, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk has published his new Police and Crime Plan, following several months of extensive consultation with the public and stakeholder groups across the county.

The newly published plan, which is the PCC’s fourth, clearly sets out his Police and Crime objectives for policing in Suffolk…  PCC publishes his new Police and Crime Plan – Suffolk PCC

Suffolk County Council – Report a Highways issue, including Potholes

To report a highways issue please go to: Highways Reporting Tool

Tree for life

To promote the benefits which planting trees brings to communities, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council offer families a tree to mark the arrival of every new child.

Mid Suffolk post: 🌳 FREE trees! 🌳 👶 If you’re a new… – Mid Suffolk District Council | Facebook

Babergh post: 🌳 FREE trees! 🌳 👶 If you’re a new… – Babergh District Council | Facebook

£15k offer for home efficiency loan opens.

The council’s new £3m fund for interest-free loans to residents wishing to undertake home energy efficiency upgrades that was mentioned in last month’s parish report is now active, and applications can now be made at https://www.lendology.org.uk/warm-home-suffolk-loan. Energy efficiency upgrades such as insulation, solar panels, batteries, glazing, or heat pumps are possible with loans from £2,000 to £15,000 to be repaid over a maximum of seven years at 0% interest.