What happens next?

Making the submission

Our proposal for three unitary councils in Norfolk was sent to the Government on 26 September 2025.

It was submitted after councillors from each of the partner councils (Breckland Council, Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, North Norfolk District Council, and Norwich City Council) debated and voted in favour of supporting our shared proposal at their council meetings earlier in the month. 

The submission was made with the support of numerous partners, including: Steff Aquarone MP (Lib Dem), Member of Parliament for North Norfolk; Terry Jermy MP (Labour), Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk; Alice Macdonald MP (Labour and Co-operative), Member of Parliament for Norwich North; Clive Lewis MP (Labour), Member of Parliament for Norwich South; George Freeman MP (Conservative), Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk; Rupert Lowe MP (Independent), Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth, and James Wild MP (Conservative), Member of Parliament for North West Norfolk.

What happens next?

The Government will now review our proposal and the supporting evidence we've provided (which includes feedback from our previous public surveys), consider any other proposed models for the future of Norfolk's local government, and hold a public consultation. A final decision will then be made before we move into implementing any changes.

We currently expect the timeline to look something like this:
(Please note this timeline is subject to change):

• 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 start to be made, concluding in the Autumn of 2026
• 2027: New authorities set up in shadow form, with elections in May 2027
• 2028: New authorities go live and take over from existing councils

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