Babergh & Mid Suffolk IESE 2024 Award Winners: Continual Progression
Council of the Year in the 2024 IESE Awards, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils (B&MS) have been working hard to ‘put sustainability at the heart of everything they do’. By working to build resilient communities and opportunities built into the infrastructure. In autumn 2025, B&MS hosted IESE and representatives from other Local Authorities for a special showcase of the achievements and innovations that secured them the IESE 2024 Award. This event also highlighted the significant progress and further developments made since winning, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to positive change within their communities.
What Are They Doing?
One of the significant actions for Babergh & Mid Suffolk has been addressing the rates of vacancies in one of their high streets. To combat this, they have been working to de-risk and improve the area, investing in a mixed-use future that is less dependent on retail. They have also worked with local businesses, landlords and increasing opportunities for art, culture, and innovation while improving shopfronts. With allocated funding in place for social areas, there are already improvements in this area. Alongside this, they built Gateway 14, the largest innovation and business centre in East Anglia, implemented to deliver employment space, financial returns, and deliver quality sustainable development.
Another area of growth is in the delivery of affordable housing and markets. An example has been the repurposing of Mid Suffolk County District’s former HQ for 93 homes and a retail unit. Many local authorities are moving to a reduced in-office presence, which causes previous buildings to be vacant. With a high demand for more residential homes, and importantly, affordable housing. B&MS have repurposed these buildings and surrounding land for residential development as a key driver to increase the sustainability for the local population.
Aside from their approach to housing and building regeneration B&MS have developed an economic strategy that encompasses where their strengths lie, considering opportunities and where the barriers to growth are. Their focused approach with three fundamental pillars: People, Place and Prosperity with a focus on venue support and driving visitor economies. This includes regeneration projects for locations such as Sudbury Arts Centre, and a £10.6 million redevelopment for Gainsborough House, which reopened in late 2022.
An economy, as we know, needs support, especially with fast-changing developments and the cost-of-living crisis. B&MS have drawn this into play as well. They have unlocked stalled sites, and enterprise zones, and have collectively seen results with a combined 1,522 people supported with job-searching, 16 nature projects, and 194 new jobs created and more as reported to iESE in September 2025.
However, one of the most impressive areas of development for B&MS has been the transformation of its housing sector. In 2022, they found poor tenant satisfaction, over 4000 jobs backlogged and health and safety risks. They even self-referred for non-compliance, a difficult thing to do but absolutely worth the outcomes and transformation that came from it. In a 2-year transformation, they implemented a new compliance team structure, a new assets team and new asset management software. Their efforts, they have led to a turnaround with higher satisfaction from tenants, lower complaint rates, and higher rates of responding within regulator time limits. The Local Authority has also prioritised decision-making that is focused on the tenant, bringing tenant feedback into the centre of processes, including tracking recommendations and actions taken. They stated that “it’s all about transparency” and that their care for their people has taken precedence in their transformation.
B&MS are bringing in a focus on sustainable travel and energy, funding innovations such as cycle storage and e-bike charging, support to fund community transport operators for decarbonisation, and development and costing of highways schemes for cycling and walking provisions. They are also adapting their fleet to HVO (Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil) for lower-emission fuel. In energy, they are using PSDF (Public Sector Decarbonisation Funds) to roll out solar PV on corporate roofs and in carports, as well as improving the energy efficiency of leisure centres.
Why Is This Important?
As Council of the Year Award Winner, 2024, B&MS have shown the power of innovation for community improvement across the board. Focusing on multiple areas of improvement within their communities to drive economic growth, health, and sustainability. With health schemes, eco-schemes and planning across residential, business and energy transport, this well-rounded approach to innovation allows different areas of their public sector to grow in tandem to bring the whole local authority together.
IESE visited B&MS for a showcase of their growth and success. Annabelle Atkin, IESE CEO, was extremely impressed with the showcase and innovative development shown by the authority.
“At IESE, we champion councils that not only think differently but also deliver tangible results. We’re inspired by Local Authorities that embrace innovation across a range of projects, pushing boundaries to improve services and outcomes for their communities. But innovation alone isn’t enough; we look for clear evidence of impact. Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils exemplified this journey – consistently demonstrating progress through previous award wins, which was reflected in their well-deserved 2024 Council of the Year title. We encourage all councils to share their transformation stories through our awards, because every step forward deserves to be recognised.”
Driving Innovation and Change
It is no news that sometimes we can be averse to change, but in this modern era, change is all around us, with no relief from the cost-of-living crisis, and many still feeling the pressures instigated by Brexit and COVID-19; change is necessary. Online shopping means fewer people on the high streets, and the cost-of-living rise means less disposable income to spend where the high streets are. An ageing population means more healthcare demands, and the climate crisis means sustainable thinking is key to adapting to an unknown future.
At IESE, we recognise the pressures that a rapidly changing world places on public services, and we champion innovation to help them stay ahead. Babergh and Mid Suffolk exemplified this commitment, earning the iESE 2024 Council of the Year Award for pioneering initiatives that delivered positive outcomes and transformative developments across both districts.
IESE is eager to see how other local authorities instigate changes for their local communities, and what innovations are being employed to combat unique local challenges. If your local authority has implemented strategic innovations to improve its local infrastructure, we encourage you to submit an application for the IESE Awards 2026. IESE wants to know what people are doing across the UK to improve the way we live.
To apple for the IESE Awards, please visit: www.iese.org.uk/public-sector-transformation-awards-2026