Consultation on Proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Norfolk and Suffolk

Overview

This statutory consultation seeks views on the proposals that the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has received following the Secretary of State’s invitation to councils in Norfolk and Suffolk to submit proposals for unitary local government for their areas. You can find full details of the consultation, including a privacy statement, at: Local government reorganisation in Norfolk and Suffolk - GOV.UK

The 5 proposals in this consultation were made by the following councils on 26 September 2025:

Proposals from Councils in the Norfolk Area

1. Norfolk County Council proposed one unitary council across the whole of the area of Norfolk comprising the current district areas of:

• Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Norwich, and South Norfolk

You can find the proposal at: www.norfolk.gov.uk/onecouncil

2. South Norfolk District Council proposed 2 unitary councils across the whole of the area of Norfolk comprising the current district areas of:

• East Norfolk: Broadlands, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, and South Norfolk
• West Norfolk:  Breckland, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and North Norfolk.

You can find the proposal at: South Norfolk Council: Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Norfolk | Broadland and South Norfolk

3. Breckland District Council, Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, North Norfolk District Council, and Norwich City Council, proposed 3 unitary councils. This includes a request to modify the proposal to split existing districts between the new unitary councils: 

• West: Breckland, North Norfolk, and King’s Lynn and West Norfolk (plus 9 parishes from South Norfolk).
• Norwich: Norwich, (plus 19 parishes from Broadland and 16 parishes from South Norfolk).
• East: Broadland (less 19 parishes), Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk, and South Norfolk (less 25 parishes.)

You can find the proposal at: https://www.futurenorfolk.com/people-place-progress

Proposals from Councils in the Suffolk area

4. Suffolk County Council proposed one unitary council across the whole of the area of Suffolk comprising the current district areas of:

• Babergh, East Suffolk, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, and West Suffolk

You can find the proposal at: View our Consultation Resources - One Suffolk Council

5. Babergh District Council, East Suffolk District Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, and West Suffolk District Council, proposed 3 unitary councils. This includes a request to modify the proposal to split existing districts between the new unitary councils: 

• Western Suffolk: West Suffolk (plus 21 parishes from Mid Suffolk), and Babergh (less 31 parishes).
• Central and Eastern: Mid Suffolk (less 29 parishes), and East Suffolk (less 25 parishes).
• Ipswich and Southern Suffolk: Ipswich (plus 31 parishes from Babergh, 8 parishes from Mid Suffolk, and 25 parishes from East Suffolk).

You can find the proposal at: https://threecouncilsforsuffolk.org/

This consultation asks questions about each proposal to help inform the assessment of the proposals.