Heritage campaigners said it was "no surprise" that record offices in Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds were being earmarked for closure amid severe council cuts.

Six years after Suffolk County Council announced the closure of Lowestoft Record Office, a campaign group formed to fight that decision says the latest announcement comes after Lowestoft had been "left with an empty husk."

Last week Suffolk County Council said it would be cutting £500,000 funding investment in the arts and culture sector from April 2025.

As well as this, the historic archives at Bury St Edmunds and the remaining local studies material left at Lowestoft are to be transferred to The Hold in Ipswich.

The council has said it has had to make cuts to balance its books.

With the Save Our Record Office (SORO) group formed in 2018, despite a four year battle including a 7,300 name petition, formal opposition from three Suffolk town councils and strong criticism from Waveney MP Peter Aldous, they were unable to prevent the council transferring the entire strongroom contents from Lowestoft to Ipswich in 2021.

Bob Collis, chair of the SORO group, said: "Suffolk County Council and their archives management have been planning a unified service in one location since 2013.

"Having already completely alienated North East Suffolk by removing their archives, its now the turn of West Suffolk to feel the contempt these people have for heritage and history enthusiasts across the county.

"We now know through FOI requests and our own research that the decision to close the Lowestoft office was taken years beforehand, and the costing for the move was already in the plans submitted to the then Heritage Lottery Fund in 2017.

"The Hold has soaked up over £17m of public funds and its going to cost over £1.3m a year to run."

Mr Collis added that the SORO campaign group would be wound up within a few weeks after they left Lowestoft "with an empty husk."