Babergh

Babergh District (pronounced , ) is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Primarily a rural area, Babergh contains two towns of notable size: Sudbury, and Hadleigh, which was the administrative centre until 2017. Its council headquarters, which are shared with neighbouring Mid Suffolk, are now based in Ipswich. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Sudbury, Hadleigh Urban District, Cosford Rural District, Melford Rural District and Samford Rural District. The district did not have one party of councillors (nor a formal coalition of parties) exercising overall control until 2015. Babergh's population size has increased by 5.2%, from around 87,700 in 2011 to 92,300 in 2021 and covers an area of approximately . It is named after the Babergh Hundred, referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086, although it also covers the hundreds of Cosford and Samford. The southern boundary of the district is marked almost exclusively by the River Stour, which also forms the border with Essex, and it is separated from East Suffolk by the River Orwell. It also neighbours the district of Mid Suffolk.