About Ipswich

Working and living in Ipswich brings the advantages of living near beaches, countryside, urban and historic environments, and with excellent transport links, there really isn’t anywhere out of reach.

Ipswich Borough Council offers candidates an opportunity to be part of something bigger – we are proud of what we do – and are looking for people that want to contribute to our continued growth and development.

When visiting our Waterfront, one of the many award-winning parks, or attending one of the many arts and entertainment venues, it’s easy to see that Ipswich has something for everyone. Did you know that the development of the waterfront, the renovation of local historical buildings, the building of sustainable and affordable homes, and the multiple shows and festivals are supported, developed, managed, and created with the involvement of Ipswich Borough Council?

Ipswich has a rich history and is renowned for our architectural, natural and cultural heritage – proudly preserving more than 6000 heritage-listed sites, we can also boast about having one of the most beautiful collections of parks, with Christchurch Park set in 70-arces and with the Tudor Christchurch Mansion, we also have our very own Woolly Mammoth at Ipswich Museum… we are not what you think, when you think local authority!

To find out more download our Inward Investment brochure.

Ipswich Fun Facts

  • The population of Ipswich is more than 139,000. Ipswich grew by 4.74% between 2011 and 2021.
  • Ipswich has 18.37% of the Suffolk population (760,300) and accounts for 19.7% of the population increase for Suffolk since 2011.
  • Ipswich is also the engine room of the Suffolk economy, with a larger proportion of working-age adults than the Suffolk average of 58.3% and a younger population.
  • Ipswich is increasingly multicultural, with 17.1% of the community from non-white British ethnicities, and more than 70 languages being spoken.
  • Ipswich has 9,700 (11.1%) economically inactive residents, which is 10.4% lower than the England average.

About the Council

We are ambitious for the future of our borough and our council.

Ipswich Borough Council provides a voice for its communities and a wide range of services to meet our residents’ needs. The Council is playing a key role in growing our local economy. Together, we are building a better Ipswich.

With a commercial and community-focused approach, in the last five years, we’ve provided over £2m of funding to community groups, built 100 new homes, and secured planning for 250 more; our Local Plan has now been adopted; we’ve got planning consent for a new carbon neutral depot; introduced over 100 electric vehicles into our fleet; secured £25m Towns Fund with our partners; designed and secured funding for a major redevelopment of Ipswich Museum; hosted well over 1m people at Council run events; supported our communities through the pandemic; and brought hundreds of jobs to Ipswich and much more.

Our Priorities

As a council, we have defined a set of six key priorities for our borough and communities:

  • A thriving town centre
  • Quality and affordable homes for Ipswich People
  • A ‘carbon neutral’ Council
  • Good quality front line Borough Council services
  • Help with the Cost-of-Living Crisis
  • A financially sustainable Council