Functions
Felixstowe Town Council is the Burial Authority for Felixstowe and also provides burial facilities for the adjacent Parish of Trimley St Martin. The Town Council provides statutory allotments in Felixstowe. To fulfil these statutory functions the Town Council owns and administers Felixstowe Cemetery which is located in Langley Avenue which is also owned by the Town Council as the cemetery access road. The Town Council also carries out agency work on behalf of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at Felixstowe Cemetery. The Town Council owns five allotment grounds at Cowpasture, Ferry Road, Cemetery Field, Railway Hill and Taunton Road.
- The Town Council owns Broadway House in Orwell Road. This new building was constructed in partnership with the Orwell Housing Association. The building provides a community hall on the ground floor together with four social housing units on the first and second floors. The community hall is managed on behalf of the Town Council by the Felixstowe Old Peoples Welfare Association who provide a senior citizens centre during the day. In the evening and at weekends the hall is available for wider community use. The Town Council holds community events and some of its meetings at Broadway House.
- The Town Council owns Walton Community Hall which it has refurbished in partnership with the Orwell Housing Association. The Building now provides three social housing units together with a refurbished community hall.
- The Town Council owns an area of land adjacent to Peewit Hill which has been donated to Felixstowe as a nature reserve and which it is developing and managing as a public open space in conjunction with Suffolk Coastal District Council and other adjacent land owners.
- The Town Council owns a Television Transposer which is located on Anzani House and which was installed to rectify television interference problems in the Cavendish Park and adjacent area.
- The Town Council organises and administers the annual "Felixstowe in Flower" scheme. Felixstowe has been very successful over many years as a competitor in Anglia in Bloom. “Felixstowe in Flower” is a community scheme which receives substantial community sponsorship.
- The Town Council led the project to provide a flood memorial to commemorate the 1953 floods in Felixstowe. The Flood Memorial, which was in large part financed by donations, is owned by the Town Council. It is situated in the grounds of Langer School.
- Felixstowe has been twinned with Wesel in Germany since 1974 and has a Partnership arrangement with Salzwedel in the former East Germany. It also has an informal 'sister city' relationship with Hagerstown in the USA. All four Towns are linked by friendship agreements and Felixstowe Town Council is closely involved with these relationships, particularly those with Wesel and Salzwedel.
- The Town Council carries out agency functions on behalf of Suffolk Coastal District Council including a general advice service.
- The Town Council has a wide range of Partnership Agreements. These include partnerships with Suffolk County Council for highways and the Library in Felixstowe. There are joint Advisory Committees for both these services with membership from the Town and County Councils. The Town Council is a member of the Town Centre Management Group which is a joint Committee of Representatives of the Town, District and County Councils and the Felixstowe Chamber of Trade and Commerce and which manages Town Centre issues and has been responsible for the implementation of a series of schemes for the enhancement of the Town Centre Environment. There is a partnership with the Lions Club of Felixstowe and the Felixstowe Chamber of Trade and Commerce to develop the Christmas Lighting Scheme and other Christmas festivities in the Town. The Town Council established the Felixstowe Ferry Forum and the Felixstowe CCTV Community Initiative. The Town Council is a member of the Landguard Partnership and the Felixstowe Futures Partnership. The Town Council is a member of the Safer Neighbourhood Teams Community Meeting and Task Groups.
- The Town Council established and operates the Felixstowe Youth Forum. This provides a democratic voice for young people in Felixstowe. Its members include the Deben and Orwell High Schools, Causton, Colneis, Grange, Kingsfleet and Langer Primary schools and the Level Two Youth Project. The forum is widely recognised as a leading example of the participation by young people in the democratic process. In 2006 it won the High Sheriff’s Community Safety Award.
- The Town Council encourages community participation and there is a Public Question Time at the start of each Town Council meeting. The various joint committees and initiatives described in Paragraph 15, include wide community involvement in the Town Council decision making process.
- In addition to carrying out its own functions the Town Council is consulted on a wide range of issues by Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council and other public bodies and government departments.
- The Town Council is closely involved in all planning issues concerning Felixstowe. Suffolk Coastal District Council consults the Town Council on all planning applications received for the Parish of Felixstowe. The Town Council is consulted by the District Council and others on the revision of the Local Development Framework. The Town Council helped to finance the recently published strategy for Felixstowe produced by David Lock Associates. The Town Council is represented on the Felixstowe Futures Group which is implementing this strategy.
The Town Council organises a series of civic events each year. These include the Remembrance commemorations, a civic service, the Mayor’s Charity Ball, the Mayor’s reception, civic Twinning visits and the Felixstowe in Flower events. There are also ad hoc events to commemorate or celebrate important Felixstowe events or anniversaries.
- Felixstowe Town Council has achieved Quality Parish Status. This initiative will bring a range of benefits to the Town Council and to Felixstowe.