Published: Wednesday, 25th March 2026
The Government has decided that three unitary councils is its chosen way forward for Local Government Reorganisation in Norfolk.
Currently, services in Norfolk are split between the county council and seven borough, city and district councils. The Government wants to replace all eight councils with ‘unitary councils’, which will deliver all council services, and asked the existing authorities to make proposals for what future services could look like.
Council Leaders and officers in Norfolk worked up proposals for Norfolk, which were subject to extensive community engagement. The three options put forward to Government for consideration were one unitary council for the whole of Norfolk, two councils (east and west) and three councils (east, west and greater Norwich).
Following a statutory public consultation, the Government decided on 25 March 2026 that three unitary councils is its chosen way forward for Norfolk.
Three councils is the Future Norfolk proposal put forward jointly by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, together with five other districts: Breckland Council, Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Councils, North Norfolk District Council and Norwich City Council. The plan aims to ensure decisions about local services are taken closer to communities and tailored to local needs.
The West Norfolk unitary council will comprise the geographic areas currently served by West Norfolk, Breckland plus a small part of South Norfolk.
Councillor Alistair Beales, Council Leader of the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, said: “This positive decision is the right one for Norfolk and we are pleased the Government has listened to our local communities and our partnership of six councils, who worked so hard together to shape and champion this robust proposal for three unitary authorities, backed by eight local MPs.
“The Government agrees that three unitary councils, including a dedicated council for the West, will best serve the people and places of our large and diverse county. A one-size-fits-all mega council for the whole of Norfolk, with Norwich-centric thinking, was never going to be the right way forward.
“Three unitaries will deliver clearer local accountability, with democratic decisions made by local representatives closer to communities, and more responsive services tailored to local needs, strengths and opportunities of each area, while still remaining large enough to operate efficiently across all council services.
“While three councils will still see the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk replaced by a larger authority covering a wider area, we are already asking our residents whether they would like us to set up a town council for King’s Lynn, to ensure Norfolk’s biggest town continues to have a really strong local voice and civic identity into the future.
“We can be proud of the great partnership work and community engagement that has happened across six councils over the last year. We are already speaking with all eight councils to ensure that reform and service integration operates smoothly for the people of our fine county, and West Norfolk has a role in driving future change.”
Now the Government has made its decision, a Structural Change Order (SCO) is expected to be passed into law in the autumn. The SCO is the legal instrument which will allow reorganisation to proceed. The SCO will set out arrangements for the transition process and authorise elections to happen to the shadow council in May 2027 with the new unitary councils going live on 1 April 2028.
Find out more about Local Government Reorganisation in Norfolk here.