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Rationale for scoring: 3 unitary authorities

1) To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal suggests a council that is based on a sensible geography and economic area?

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.

2) To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council will be able to deliver the outcomes they describe in the proposal?

Clear, evidence-based design

The proposal is grounded in robust analysis of demographics, service demand, and financial sustainability, ensuring each council is fit-for-purpose from day one.

Financial resilience and efficiency

Modelling shows cumulative savings of £220m over eight years, with breakeven by Year 4 and recurring annual savings of £49m, enabling reinvestment in frontline services.

Tailored service models

Each unitary will implement bespoke operating models aligned to local needs (urban deprivation in Greater Norwich, coastal challenges in East Norfolk, and rural isolation in West Norfolk) rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Focus on prevention and innovation

The councils will embed early intervention and prevention strategies, reducing demand for acute services and improving long-term outcomes for residents.

Significant capacity for transformation

The proposal includes investment in digital services, streamlined processes, and workforce integration, ensuring councils can modernise and deliver high-quality, sustainable services.

Strong local engagement

Over 5,000 survey responses and 100+ engagement events demonstrate that the design reflects community priorities, increasing the likelihood of successful implementation.

Alignment with strategic growth

The councils are positioned to unlock housing, infrastructure, and economic opportunities through partnership with the Mayoral Combined Authority, supporting inclusive growth across Norfolk.

3) To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council is the right size to be efficient, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks?

Optimal balance of scale and local responsiveness

Each proposed unitary has a population between 278,000 and 336,000, this is large enough to achieve efficiencies but small enough to remain close to communities.

Meets Government criteria for resilience

While below the 500,000 guideline, the proposal justifies this with strong evidence of functional need and strategic opportunity, ensuring councils can deliver sustainable services without creating a democratic deficit.

Financial sustainability from day one

Baseline modelling shows all three councils start in a viable position, with projected cumulative savings of £220m over eight years and recurring annual savings of £49m.

Avoids single-point failure risk

A single county unitary would concentrate financial and operational risk in one structure. Three councils distribute risk and create more resilient organisations.

Capacity for transformation

Each council will have sufficient tax base and organisational scale to invest in digital innovation and preventative service models.

Supports efficiency without remoteness

The model avoids the inefficiencies and democratic deficit of a mega-council, while still enabling economies of scale through shared procurement and collaboration.

4) To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council will deliver high quality, sustainable public services?

Designed for transformation

The proposal creates councils built to deliver modern, preventative, and integrated services. : Investment in digitally enabled services and streamlined processes will improve accessibility, reduce duplication, and free resources for frontline delivery.

Prevention-focused model

Each unitary will embed early intervention strategies across social care, housing, and health, reducing demand for costly crisis services and improving long-term outcomes.

Tailored to local needs

Service delivery models are bespoke for each area (urban deprivation in Greater Norwich, coastal challenges in East Norfolk, and rural isolation in West Norfolk) ensuring relevance and effectiveness.

Integration with partners

The model aligns with NHS reforms and other public services, enabling joined-up delivery and better coordination across health, education, and community support.

Financial sustainability underpins quality

Robust modelling shows recurring annual savings of £49m and cumulative benefits of £220m by Year 8, ensuring councils can maintain and improve services without compromising quality.

Evidence-led and engagement-driven

Service design is informed by extensive engagement with residents and partners, ensuring priorities reflect real community needs and expectations.

5) To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal has been informed by local views and will meet local needs?

Extensive engagement programme

Over 5,403 survey responses, 100+ public and partner events, and direct contact with 304,500 households show strong public involvement.

Broad stakeholder input

Town and parish councils, MPs, businesses, voluntary sector, health and education partners all contributed, ensuring diverse perspectives shaped the proposal.

Clear alignment with community priorities

Feedback emphasised accountability, local identity, and financial sustainability which are core principles embedded in the design of the proposal.

Place-based approach

Each unitary reflects distinct local needs:

  • Greater Norwich: Tackles urban deprivation and housing pressures.
  • East Norfolk: Addresses coastal challenges, energy sector growth, and rural isolation.
  • West Norfolk: Focuses on ageing population, connectivity, and rural service delivery.

Strong political backing

Supported by 8 out of 10 Norfolk MPs, demonstrating broad democratic and cross-party endorsement.

6) To what extent do you agree or disagree that establishing the councils in this proposal will support devolution arrangements, for example, the establishment of a strategic authority?

Strengthens regional governance

The three-unitary model creates balanced representation within the Norfolk & Suffolk Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) avoiding dominance by any single area and ensuring urban, rural, and coastal voices are heard.

Enables strategic planning with local delivery

Councils will focus on local service delivery while the MCCA handles regional priorities like transport, housing, skills, and infrastructure this will align local needs with strategic investment.

Locally informed delivery

Multiple unitaries provide the skills, resources, and local knowledge needed to support the MCCA's commissioning model, ensuring effective delivery of major projects.

Strong geographies for economic growth

Each unitary reflects functional economic areas, enabling coherent collaboration on regional priorities such as clean energy, agri-tech, and housing, but ensures they are shaped for successful local delivery.

Aligns with Government's devolution agenda

The model meets Local Government Reorganisation criteria by creating councils that can partner effectively with a strategic authority to unlock investment and accelerate growth.

7) To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal enables stronger community engagement and gives the opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment?

Designed for local accountability

The three-unitary model provides great democratic accountability than the other proposals, ensuring residents can easily identify and contact their local elected members and make their voices heard.

Neighbourhood-level structures

Each proposed council will deliver specific local shaped frameworks for community engagement, including enhanced roles for town and parish councils and new democratic models for unparished urban areas.

Reflects feedback on visibility and access

Engagement findings show residents value knowing their councillors and having decisions made by people who understand their community.

Closer decision-making

Councils will operate at a scale that allows decisions to be made nearer to communities, improving responsiveness and trust.

Empowers local identity

The model respects cultural and historic importance, anchoring councils in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, and King's Lynn while supporting neighbourhood-level influence.

9) This proposal is accompanied by a request that the Secretary of State considers boundary change. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal sets out a strong public services and financial sustainability justification for boundary change?

  • 1 unitary authority: not applicable
  • 2 unitary authorities: not applicable
  • 3 unitary authorities: strongly agree

Unlocks Greater Norwich's growth potential

Adjusting boundaries allows Norwich to expand beyond its constrained current boundaries, incorporating key suburbs and economic hubs in Broadland and South Norfolk that already identify as being part of the city. This enables the city to grow uninhibited, supporting housing delivery, infrastructure, and its role as Norfolk's economic engine.

Aligns with functional geographies

Moves away from arbitrary historic lines to create councils that reflect real communities and economic patterns of the residents they support.

Improves service delivery

Boundary changes allow each unitary to design services around local needs rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.

Financial sustainable

Modelling shows all three councils would be viable from day one, with cumulative savings of £220m over eight years and recurring annual savings of £49m. Ensuring that all have tax bases of a suitable size that will continue to grow and support them in the longer term.

Avoids structural weaknesses

Prevents importing Norfolk County Council's financial fragility into a single authority, reducing risk and improving resilience.

Supports housing and infrastructure growth

Logical boundaries enable coordinated planning for homes and transport that meet the needs of the local communities and address significant social demographic challenges.

Responds to engagement feedback

Residents and stakeholders supported councils that reflect local identity and functionality, leading to boundary changes that are being proposed.

Strong political backing

Supported by 6 out of the 8 Norfolk Councils and 8 out of 10 Norfolk MPs, reinforcing confidence that these changes are necessary and future-proof.