Braiseworth is represented at four levels: a parish Parish Meeting, Mid Suffolk District Council, Suffolk County Council and a Member of Parliament. This page sets out who they are, what each is responsible for, and how to reach them.

Parish level: Braiseworth Parish Meeting

Braiseworth is too small to have a full parish council, so it is governed by a Parish Meeting. In practice this means:

• There is no elected parish council or salaried clerk. Instead, all local government electors of the parish may attend and vote at the Parish Meeting.
• A meeting must be held at least once a year (between 1 March and 1 June), and can be called at other times. It is chaired by an elected Chair.
• The Meeting represents the community’s collective view — for example on planning, highways or local concerns — to Mid Suffolk District Council and Suffolk County Council, but it has few powers or funds of its own.

Contact and taking part

The Parish Meeting’s registered contact is the Chair, Mrs V Fiebelkorn. To raise a matter or ask when the next meeting is, contact the Chair by email at vicfiebelkorn@gmail.com. Full official contact details are on the council’s Braiseworth Parish Meeting page.

Any resident on the electoral roll can attend, speak and vote at the annual meeting — it is the most direct way to have a say locally.

Could Braiseworth have a Parish Council?

A Parish Council is the more formal body that larger villages have: it has elected councillors and a clerk, its own small budget (raised through a “precept” added to council tax), and can take on duties such as looking after greens, footpaths, seats or bus shelters. Braiseworth has a Parish Meeting rather than a council simply because it is very small — a parish is not required to have its own council where there are fewer than about 150 electors.

If residents wished, a parish council could be created. This is done through a Community Governance Review, carried out by Mid Suffolk District Council as the “principal authority”. Such a review can be:

• requested by the Parish Meeting itself;
• demanded by a petition of local electors — where the area has fewer than 500 electors, signed by at least 37.5% of them; or
• begun by the district council of its own accord.

Mid Suffolk would then consult residents, complete the review (normally within twelve months) and decide whether to establish a council. A parish council brings a stronger formal voice and modest powers, but also ongoing duties — regular meetings, accounts and a clerk — so whether it is worthwhile for a community of Braiseworth’s size is a matter for residents to weigh.

Source: Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and the Government / Local Government Boundary Commission for England guidance on Community Governance Reviews; petition thresholds as amended by the Legislative Reform (Community Governance Reviews) Order 2015. Confirm current thresholds with Mid Suffolk District Council before acting.

District level: Mid Suffolk District Council

Main number: 0300 123 4000. Online: midsuffolk.gov.uk (report, pay and apply), and the engagement platform midsuffolk.govocal.com.

Mid Suffolk deals with: council tax billing, planning applications and enforcement, housing and homelessness, bins and recycling, environmental health, licensing, and local benefits. See the Bins & recycling page for waste specifically.

County level: Suffolk County Council

Main number: 0345 606 6067. Online: suffolk.gov.uk, including its report a problem tools for highways and rights of way.

Suffolk County Council deals with: roads and potholes, street lighting, schools and education, adult and children’s social care, libraries, public rights of way and footpaths, trading standards, and household waste recycling centres.

Parliamentary level: your MP

Braiseworth is in the Waveney Valley constituency. The Member of Parliament is Adrian Ramsay (Green Party), elected on 4 July 2024.

• Parliamentary office: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA — adrian.ramsay.mp@parliament.uk
• Constituency office: 1b Navire House, Mere Street, Diss, IP22 4AG — waveneyvalleyoffice@parliament.uk — telephone 01379 830 200
• Official Parliament page: members.parliament.uk; website: adrianramsay.org.uk

An MP can help with matters involving central government and its agencies (for example the NHS, benefits, immigration, HMRC), and can raise national issues in Parliament. An MP normally deals only with their own constituents, and cannot intervene in matters that are the responsibility of the councils above, the courts, or private disputes.

Who deals with what?

A quick guide to the right body for common matters:

Reporting and getting involved

• Potholes, roads, street lighting, footpaths — report to Suffolk Highways via suffolk.gov.uk.
• Planning applications — view and comment through Mid Suffolk’s planning search.
• Missed bins and waste — report at babergh.gov.uk (see also our Bins & recycling page).
• Police community updates — sign up to Suffolk Connected; in an emergency call 999, or 101 for non-emergencies.
• Council consultations and news — Mid Suffolk’s engagement platform, midsuffolk.govocal.com.

Nearby context

The nearest town for services is Eye (two miles), with the wider market town of Diss just over the Norfolk border. See Local & Community for local services and Surrounding villages for the neighbouring parishes.

Last verified 26 August 2026