West Norfolk endorses three-unitary model for Local Government Reorganisation

The Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk has voted on its preferred model for Local Government Reorganisation in Norfolk, backing an option for three new unitary councils to be set up to serve communities in future.

Last night, Full Council considered and debated an independent assessment by specialist consultant Deloitte, considering three potential options for reorganisation: one unitary council, two unitaries or three unitaries. All seven Norfolk districts are debating the same report this week.

This independent options appraisal was commissioned jointly by all districts to help inform their initial response to the Government asking two tier areas – those with districts and county councils – to develop and submit plans for establishing larger single-tier unitary authorities in their place.

Last night, West Norfolk councillors voted unanimously to endorse the three unitary model for reorganisation as the council's preferred option for submission to Government, reflecting Deloitte's conclusion that the three unitary model scores best overall against the Government-set criteria for reorganisation.

Councillor Alistair Beales, the Council Leader, said: "This is an important issue for Norfolk and we had a valuable debate as councillors, informed by the independent assessment. That assessment concluded that three unitaries will provide the best mix of services, access and value for local people.

"As council leader, I have also reached that conclusion myself after weeks of meetings with other council leaders, officer teams and careful consideration of the data. I believe that three unitaries, in a large and varied county like ours, will best meet Norfolk's needs and also provide greater local representation than just one or two large councils.

"It's important to note that submission of these interim proposals for consideration are not a decision point, this is really a starting point for working with the Government and continuing to liaise with fellow councils to develop full proposals for submission later in the year.

"As I have said before, the communities we serve must remain at the heart of our discussions around reorganisation, and to that end we will start a consultation and engagement process in due course to seek the views of local communities in shaping final proposals.

"This is the biggest change in local government for 50 years. While this is a Government directive and ultimately will be a national decision, it is vital that the council represents its residents and businesses and takes this opportunity to influence and achieve the best outcome possible to meet local needs."