Norfolk and Suffolk councils set to split over coastal project
The aim of the scheme, which began in 2016, was to pool resources to better tackle the threat of climate change and coastal erosion
A cross-border project that has helped to protect Norfolk and Suffolk’s coastline for nearly a decade is set to end after councils ended up at loggerheads over its future.
Since 2016, Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC), North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) and East Suffolk Council (ESC) have worked together under the guise of Coastal Partnership East to manage 100 miles of vulnerable coast.
The aim of the scheme, which began in 2016, was to pool resources to better tackle the threat of climate change and coastal erosion.
But enthusiasm for the partnership has waned and it now appears likely that the three authorities will go their separate ways.
The three councils are set to decide whether or not they want to continue with the project.
ESC will discuss the matter in private at a cabinet meeting this week, while GYBC and NNDC will meet to decide their position later this month.
According to a report to Yarmouth councillors, officers have said the partnership has worked well in some instances but “given the increased pace of coastal change, it has not worked in practice”.
“It is a prudent time to make changes that enable local resourcing and prioritisation of coastal matters,” the report said.
Cabinet members at the Conservative-controlled GYBC have been recommended to leave the partnership and form its own coastal management team to take a more localised approach.
It is also understood that ESC – ruled by a coalition of Greens, independents and the Liberal Democrats – where the team is based, is also seeking to focus its resources on local issues.
It is not thought ending the partnership will affect the three councils’ abilities to get funding from the Environment Agency for coastal management projects.
However, it will mean they have to bid for cash independently, which could incur higher costs when making bids to the government for this financial support.