Norfolk’s council leaders furious after shake-up costs not reviewed
"It’s astonishing that the government has undertaken no independent analysis before embarking on the biggest reorganisation of councils for 50 years”
Norfolk’s council leaders have been left furious after government ministers failed to do their own analysis of the costs of the biggest upheaval of local government in 50 years.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner claimed a “significant amount of money” would be saved by abolishing district councils in favour of single unitary authorities.
But it has since been revealed that its estimates were based on an outdated 2020 report by the County Council Network (CNN), which claimed £2.9bn could be saved over five years.
Sam Chapman-Allen, leader of Breckland Council and chairman of the District Councils’ Network said: “Mega councils, with populations of half a million people or more, could be imposed on areas when there’s no independent, up-to-date evidence to justify councils of this size, and many large councils created previously are struggling financially.”
Under Labour’s local government reorganisation plans all eight of Norfolk’s councils would be abolished and new unitary ones – which would provide all services to their population – would be created.
Norfolk’s councils will submit their business case to the government next month.