Local Government Reorganisation

Currently, services in Norfolk are split between the county council and seven borough, city and district councils. In a process known as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), the Government wants to replace all eight councils with ‘unitary councils’, which would deliver all council services, and has asked the existing authorities to make proposals for what future services could look like.

Council Leaders and officers in Norfolk worked up Local Government Reorganisation proposals for Norfolk, which are currently subject to formal consultation by the Government. Councils were asked to submit LGR proposals by 21 March 2025, with full proposals by 26 September 2025.

Government’s LGR consultation

The Government is currently asking for people’s views on three different proposals put forward in response to its drive to reorganise Norfolk’s eight councils into new unitary authorities responsible for all local services. The options are:

• Three councils (East Norfolk, West Norfolk and Greater Norwich) – proposed jointly by the Future Norfolk partnership of six district councils: Breckland District Council, Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk District Council, and Norwich City Council
• Two councils (Norwich & East Norfolk, and West & North Norfolk) – proposed by South Norfolk District Council
• One council (covering the whole of Norfolk) – proposed by Norfolk County Council

The Government’s consultation runs until 11 January 2026 at www.gov.uk/government/collections/norfolk-local-government-reorganisation

The Government is expected to make its final decision in the spring, with elections to the new shadow council(s) in May 2027 and the council(s) going live in April 2028.

Future Norfolk - our proposal for the future of local government

A partnership of six local councils has submitted a shared proposal which, if implemented, would see the creation of three new unitary authorities in Norfolk — Greater Norwich, East Norfolk and West Norfolk, replacing the existing district, borough, city and county councils. The proposal aims to ensure decisions about local services are taken closer to communities and tailored to local needs.

Working together as ‘Future Norfolk’, the councils - Breckland Council, Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk District Council and Norwich City Council - have worked together to develop a single, evidence-based final submission which supports thriving communities, attracts investment and delivers for the long term.

This follows months of careful planning and has been informed by careful independent analysis of all options, robust financial planning to ensure all three councils are viable and deliver savings, and extensive engagement with communities about your priorities. The submission sets out how three unitaries would deliver clearer local accountability, more responsive services and better value for money while remaining large enough to operate efficiently across all council services.

This proposal for three councils is also supported by the following Members of Parliament: Steffan Aquarone (Liberal Democrat) for North Norfolk, George Freeman (Conservative) for Mid Norfolk, Terry Jermy (Labour) for South West Norfolk, Clive Lewis (Labour) for Norwich South, Rupert Lowe (Independent) for Great Yarmouth, Alice Macdonald (Labour) for Norwich North, James Wild (Conservative) for North West Norfolk, and Adrian Ramsay (Green) for Waveney Valley.

Find out more and read a summary of the Future Norfolk proposal at www.futurenorfolk.com

Future Norfolk survey (closed)

The Future Norfolk survey took place during summer 2025 and was part of the community engagement to shape the proposal for three unitary councils. We are incredibly grateful to everyone across the county who took the time to share their views on the future of local government in Norfolk. The survey closed on 1 August 2025.

A summary of feedback is available at www.futurenorfolk.com

Devolution

The Government's devolution process is set to bring new powers and funding to boost jobs, transport, housing and growth in Norfolk and Suffolk. Both counties haves been accepted onto the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme (DPP).

Early in 2025, the Government held a public consultation on proposed devolution in Norfolk and Suffolk, specifically on the proposal to form a Strategic Authority headed by a mayor, covering both counties. The consultation closed on 13 April 2025 and you can read a summary of public responses on the GOV.UK website.

The Government is continuing to work with the Norfolk and Suffolk county councils to establish the Mayoral Combined County Authority with the first mayoral election planned to take place in May 2026. Find out more on the Norfolk and Suffolk Combined County Authority website.

Criteria for unitary local government

• A proposal should seek to achieve better outcomes and local service delivery for the whole area
• Unitary local government must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial challenges
• Unitary structures must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to residents
• Proposals should show how councils in the area have sought to work together in coming to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views
• New unitary structures must support devolution arrangements
• New unitary structures should enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment

When developing proposals for unitary local government, the following matters should be considered:

• Boundary changes
  • Existing district areas should be considered as building blocks
  • If any boundary changes proposed there needs to be strong public services and financial sustainability related justification
• Engagement and consultation on reorganisation
  • Local Leaders to work collaboratively and proactively
  • Engage Members of Parliament
  • Engage local partners, stakeholders, residents, workforce & their representatives and businesses
  • Engage with the Integrated Care Board, Police and Crime Commissioner, Fire & Rescue, Local Higher Education & Further Education providers, National Parks, voluntary & third sector organisations.

The Government has fully committed to supporting councils through this stage and has acknowledged the need for us to continue to deliver our business-as-usual, alongside the work outlined above.

Timelines and next steps - summary

*Shadow unitary authorities will be temporarily formed until the new unitary authority is formally established.

Further information

Further information about devolution and local government reorganisation in Norfolk can be found in the links below:

• English Devolution White Paper - GOV.UK
• Devolution revolution: six areas to elect Mayors for first time - GOV.UK
• Letter: Norfolk - GOV.UK
• Norfolk: Local government reorganisation - GOV.UK