About Ipswich Constituency

Ipswich is a flourishing town of 120,000 people in the East of England. Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk, and is situated where the river Gipping (from which the town takes its name) becomes the Orwell estuary.

Having grown up around its port, and the import and export of agricultural materials, the economic activity of the town has now diversified with strengths in financial services, logistics and the hi-tech and communications technologies.

Cultural life in Ipswich has developed strongly in recent years with a wide selection of nightclubs, cinemas and restaurants. The New Wolsey theatre is once again establishing a strong reputation. Sporting names locally include Olympic swimmer Karen Pickering and Ipswich Town Football Club.

Being within 1 hour of London by train, Ipswich has developed a commuting population and has good links with the rest of the UK in the A12 and A14. Easy international flights are within easy reach at Stansted Airport.

The Ipswich constituency covers about three quarters of the Borough of Ipswich and excludes the Northwest corner.

The overall socio-economic profile of the town is UK average with a few wards featuring in the top 100 most deprived on the Index of Multiple Deprivation. These wards currently receive government assistance through programmes such as Investing in Communities and SureStart.