Norfolk
English county in East Anglia; LGR priority area, three unitaries planned, Reform produced a hung council on 7 May 2026.
On 7 September, ministers scrapped Norfolk's planned council merger on legal advice, keeping current boundaries for next May's elections.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
Who will govern a hung Norfolk County Council through a two-year transition that will abolish the council itself?
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UK Local Elections 2026Background
Norfolk is an English county in East Anglia. Norwich is its principal city, and the county combines a large rural area with county and district local government.
Its recent national relevance came from Local Government Reorganisation. On 25 March, ministers proposed replacing Norfolk's existing structure with three unitary authorities.
The 7 May 2026 county council elections left no party with a majority, with Reform UK the largest group. In The Week of 18 May, Norfolk's Reform leader David Bick confirmed a pre-action letter challenging the reorganisation, alongside Essex and Suffolk.
Ministers scrapped the Norfolk merger on 7 September after legal advice, so the county council and its seven districts stay in place for next May's elections.
The merger plan has collapsed
On 25 March, the government proposed replacing Norfolk's county-and-district structure with three unitary authorities. Norfolk was one of four English counties placed on that route, with voters due to elect representatives to authorities scheduled for replacement.
On 7 September, local government minister Jim McMahon scrapped Norfolk's merger plan on legal advice. Next May's council elections in affected areas will use current boundaries. For Norfolk, the immediate task changed from preparing replacement councils to operating its existing local government system through another election.