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On 9th January 2025, the full county council discussed and then the cabinet agreed to apply to be part of the Government's priority programme for devolution. The Government wants to extend devolution of powers and funding, plus local government reform, across England. It invited councils to express an interest in being part of the first phase, by January 10th. Ministers want to see a devolution deal covering Norfolk and Suffolk, with an elected mayor. They also want "two tier" areas like Norfolk - where responsibility for key services is split between county and district councils - to replace existing councils with unitary authorities.
If ministers agree to Norfolk joining the priority programme, proposals would be developed for a mayoral combined authority, covering Norfolk and Suffolk. This would include powers and funding for strategic planning, housing, transport and skills.
Being on the devolution priority programme could lead to postponement of County Council elections scheduled for May this year, so that devolution and local government reorganisation plans could be developed. Elections were previously postponed in May 2021 to enable local government reform proposals to be developed in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset, and before that in 2018 in Dorset, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire for the same reason. Any decision to postpone elections will be one for central government to take and they have yet to make this decision.