Your money and how it should be spent

Political opinion - the way forward for Norfolk

On 10^th September a press release was distributed to the media including Town and Around, and there was also a virtual meeting online. Apparently, Town and Around magazine was the only news media in attendance at that online meeting.

Since becoming involved with local politics, as Mayor of Hunstanton, Borough and County Cllr, all now retired, I have long advocated the introduction of Unitary governance as a way of getting more efficient by saving on salaries, pensions and office space, in other words, cutting back on overheads releasing funding desperately required in so many sectors. Avoiding double handling, like waste/refuse collection, avoiding planning permissions delays and much more.

Many Counties across England have successfully transformed from existing 3-tiered frameworks to unitary governance, all had their challenges, but all seem to have benefitted. So, the argument of “Leave it alone its worked O.K. since 1974”, just doesn’t stand up.

Whilst being an advocate of the unitary system I remain neutral on the arguments of having one Unitary authority, that Norfolk County Council says would be the most economic, or three Unitary authorities, that the six current District Councils say is more democratic. In any event the final decision will be made by National Government.

The ongoing timetable is confusing with the complication of an Elected Mayor for Norfolk and Suffolk being elected apparently in May 2026 with elections for unitary candidates being selected in the following years. I may have got this part wrong! I will try to get clarification.

Autumn/Winter 2025: Government holds a public consultation to gather local people's views on proposals.

• Early 2026: Government makes a decision on how services will be delivered in the future
• Spring 2026: Necessary changes in legislation are made and elections held
• 2027: New authorities formed in shadow form
• 2028: New authorities go live and take over from existing councils

Lastly, what I wanted to hear about was the workings of the Market Towns, and the obligations of regular Parishes , many of whom struggle to recruit and are treated as, at best, conduits for other authorities. While the arguments for what style and how many continue, these details seem to be overlooked.

This is the News Release Published on 10th September: 

Three new local councils will serve the people, places and future of Norfolk

A partnership of six local councils has published 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 submission which supports thriving communities, attracts investment and delivers for the long term.

The plan has been unveiled following months of careful planning and has been informed by the findings of a public survey focused on people’s priorities for the future. It has been drawn up in response to the Government announcing it plans to replace Norfolk’s existing councils with a number of new organisations which would bring together local government services.

Under the Future Norfolk banner, 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. The proposal is built across three key themes: People, Place, and Progress.

The proposal produces:

• Three local authorities which are of significant size and scale

• Three authorities which reflect the differences across Norfolk - from city to coast to countryside

• Three authorities which have economic opportunities which, partnering with the new Combined Authority, can unlock new homes, new skills and new jobs for local people

• Three authorities whose communities are different, with distinct needs best served by bespoke local public services

• Three authorities which are financially sustainable, safe and legal, with real opportunities to drive efficiencies, savings and local benefit

Process and timing:

• Councillors across the six authorities will scrutinise, debate and vote before submission to Government on 26 September

• Public consultation is expected from November