What you told us

Local Government Reorganisation will change how your services are provided, so we wanted to hear your views on priorities for the future. Our Norfolk-wide engagement activities gathered insights from residents, partner organisations and businesses, ensuring our proposal is grounded in evidence and with local priorities in mind.

Thank you to everybody who took part in our recent Future Norfolk survey and engagement events, which included:

• Direct contact with over 300,000 households through residents' magazines and existing council channels
• Over 70,000 visits to FutureNorfolk.com
• More than 100 public and partner events, from sector-focused workshops to open drop-ins, engaging almost 3,000 individuals and 1,500 partners
• Over 5,000 public survey responses - with 56% of the primary Future Norfolk survey including comments, demonstrating high levels of engagement

People

People placed high importance on accountability and access to decision-makers. The responses we received suggest a strong expectation that councils remain visible and approachable, with clear routes for people to raise issues and understand how decisions are made.

• A large majority - around 3,600 respondents - said it is "very important" to know what their councillors are doing and to have a say, while fewer than 300 felt this was "not very" or "not at all important".
• Nearly 3,700 people said that being able to easily contact their councillor and have their concerns listened to is "very important", with around a further 800 saying it was "quite important".
• Just over 3,600 respondents stressed that decisions should be made by people who know their community, with about 800 rating this as "quite important".

 

Place

A strong emphasis was placed on councils delivering services that reflect community needs, protect local identity and support the local economy. The findings also underlined that while efficiency matters, it should not come at the expense of what makes each place in Norfolk distinct.

• Meeting community needs was the most emphatic result across the "Place" questions: more than 4,200 respondents said it is "very important" that council services align with what their community currently needs, and only around 100 people felt it was "not very" or "not at all important".
• Protecting history and culture was rated "very important" by 3,571 respondents, with a further 889 saying it was "quite important".
• Almost 3,700 respondents highlighted that helping local businesses to succeed -including tourism, farming, logistics and local shops - is "very important", with close to 900 more describing it as "quite important".

 

Progress

Financial sustainability emerged as the single strongest concern. The results show that residents expect councils to manage resources well, plan ahead and remain resilient in the face of change.

• Over 4,300 respondents said it is "very important" that any new council can afford to provide and maintain services, with just 400 describing this as "quite important" and virtually no one rating it unimportant.
• More than 4,100 respondents emphasised that a new council must be run as efficiently as possible while planning for future community needs, with a further 600 saying it was "quite important".
• Around 3,700 respondents highlighted flexibility as "very important" - ensuring councils can respond to changing pressures - with another 900 considering it "quite important".

 

Summary

Overall, the feedback from local people shows that people value accountability and access to decision-makers, services that reflect local needs and identities, and a structure that can manage resources well, plan ahead and adapt without creating unnecessary complexity.

Our partner organisations asked that existing strengths are protected and that essential services are not disrupted. They also identified opportunities for improvement, including stronger collaboration, clearer accountability and arrangements that reflect local priorities.

 

Read our proposal