The district includes parts of two designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Dedham Vale, known for its association with painter John Constable, and Suffolk Coast and Heaths.

[12] In 2011, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils began working together, with one, fully integrated staff structure.

Following the 2023 election a coalition of the Greens, independents and Liberal Democrats formed to run the council.

[27][28] The council built itself a new headquarters on Corks Lane in Hadleigh, incorporating existing cottages and granaries into the new building.

The eastern part of the district forms a peninsula between the two tidal rivers, coming to a point at Shotley Gate.

'Constable Country' is cognate with a large tract of Babergh: drawing visitors to the Dedham Vale, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the well-preserved villages of Long Melford, Lavenham and Kersey.

Babergh's population size has increased by 5.2%, from around 87,700 in 2011 to 92,300 in 2021[30] and covers an area of approximately 230 square miles (600 km2).