Village

Westleton is situated some 2 miles in from the Suffolk coast, roughly mid-way between Ipswich and Lowestoft and approximately 100 miles from London.

It is set in a landscape of Outstanding Natural Beauty and within the parish lies the internationally renowned Minsmere Reserve, owned and managed by the RSPB.

Westleton Heath National Nature Reserve and parts of Dunwich Forest also lie within the parish.
The majority of the 342 inhabitants live close to the B1125 Blythburgh to Leiston road, the remainder living in scattered cottages and farmhouses in this otherwise agricultural landscape.                                     

Photo: Westleton Camera Club

The Village Hall and St Peters Church are the focal points of village activities, whilst The Crown Inn is the main social centre.

The parish of Westleton is bounded by the parishes of Dunwich, Darsham, Middleton cum Fordley and Theberton cum Eastbridge.

The place name Westleton (or Westledestuna as it appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086) is believed to derive from the Old Norse Vestlithi (a personal name) and Old English tun i.e. Vestlithi's homestead.

Westleton Parish Council has published its Website Accessibility Statement which can be found in the left hand column of this page. Contact the Webmaster for any questions about this site.

Events

The Village hosts of plethora of events every month, details of which can be found within the monthly Yoxmere Fisherman magazine, digital copies of which can be found on the Church section of this website. The Village Hall is at the heart of most activities with a full listing on their Facebook page.

There will be a public meeting at the Westleton Village Hall on Tuesday 21st July at 7pm where the B1125 Action Group will be giving the full picture of SZC & SCC Highway’s position on the future of the B1125. This meeting invites an open discussion about ideas of what, if anything, that can be done - if you want to continue opposing SZC's plans for the B1125 (road layout & oaks removals). The evening will also include an updates following communications with SZC and our local MP on these specific issues. Please come along to find out the latest information, and to add your own views.

Latest News

The Westleton Village Survey is now live! For more details on how to access & complete the survey please see the Village Survey page on this website.

Here is the latest update (July) from your Member of Parliment for Suffolk Coastal, Jenny Riddell-Carpenter.

The Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Suffolk has also released their July update.

Parish Clerk

When I last wrote, I was preparing for Westleton’s Annual Parish Meeting on 18 May. It was a successful and well-attended evening, with 59 attendees and representatives from 21 organisations, groups, and businesses from across the parish. It was truly inspiring to see such a level of dedication and diversity of interests in a small village. Thank you to everyone who took the time to get involved, and to both Adnams and The Westleton Crown for their generous donations of wine and beverages.

Following the County Council election on 7 May, Westleton now has a new County Councillor in the shape of Westleton-resident John Matthews. The parish council wishes him well in his new role and looks forward to seeing him at its monthly meetings.

At the Community Field, the council will shortly receive a set of NFC tags that will enable donations to be made using a mobile phone. It is hoped that this will boost donations at what is the council’s largest asset in terms of costs. In light of this, I am always on the lookout for ways to achieve the best value for money for the council, and in turn taxpayers, and have recently secured a new three-year undertaking with a new insurer that will reduce the council’s insurance premiums by around 18% per year.

Finally, the Westleton Village Survey is open until 31 August. There has been a good number of responses so far, but we would still invite everyone who lives in and visits Westleton to get involved. There are 40 questions covering a wide range of topics, and the survey takes around 15 minutes to complete. Paper surveys are available to pick up from and drop off at the Village Hall, the Post Office, The Crown pub, and the Church, but the easiest way to complete the survey is online.

As usual, I can always be contacted at clerk@westletonparishcouncil.gov.uk and the latest council information can be found in the Parish Council noticeboard or on this website.

Richard Green - Westleton Parish Council Clerk