Rationale for scoring: 3 unitary authorities

• 1 unitary authority: strongly disagree
• 2 unitary authorities: strongly disagree
• 3 unitary authorities: strongly agree

Distinct geographies reflected

The three proposed unitaries align with real-world patterns of how people live, work, and travel, rather than boundaries set in 1974. This ensures councils are rooted in genuine communities (city, coast, countryside).

Functional economic areas

Each unitary is designed around coherent economic zones:

• Greater Norwich: a fast-growing city-region and economic engine with strong knowledge, creative, and life sciences sectors
• East Norfolk: the "Energy Coast," nationally significant for offshore wind, carbon capture, and tourism
• West Norfolk: a productive rural heartland with agri-tech, advanced manufacturing, and strategic connectivity to the Midlands and Cambridgeshire

Balanced tax bases and sustainability

The model creates three authorities with robust and balanced tax bases, avoiding undue advantage or disadvantage for any area and ensuring financial resilience for the future.

Supports housing and growth

Logical boundaries enable coordinated housing delivery and infrastructure planning while responding to local needs through Growth Plans and Spatial Development Strategies.

Respects local identity

The proposal considers cultural and historic importance of key conurbations in Norfolk anchoring councils in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, and King's Lynn and protecting distinct rural, coastal, and urban identities.