Ambition for a new Unitary Norwich backed by city’s political leaders

A motion on devolution, which will be presented at the full council meeting, has the full backing of all the city council’s political leaders – Cllr Mike Stonard, leader of the council (Labour); Cllr Lucy Galvin, Green group leader; Cllr James Wright, Lib Dem group leader and Cllr Karen Davis, Independent group leader.

In the joint motion, the wording says the council resolves “To support the creation of a new unitary authority for the Norwich urban area, which understands and responds to the needs of the residents in the Norwich urban area”.

Additional shared commitments focus on collaborating with other relevant councils and placing a strong emphasis on full and far-reaching engagement and consultation with those affected by devolution in our region.

In a joint statement on behalf of all the city council’s political leaders, they said: “This presents us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to ensure we make a compelling case for getting the best deal for residents within the wider urban Norwich area.

“Devolution offers major opportunities to develop and drive the investment and growth that would come along with a new Unitary Norwich council.

“We want a solution to local government reorganisation that means we can provide better services for local people which are shaped and delivered locally and not by central government.”

If the motion is carried, the next steps will be to commission the development of a business case for a new unitary authority for the Norwich urban area which would need to be submitted to government within the required timescales.

The motion further commits to collaborating with other relevant authorities to “ensure the whole system of new unitary authorities is able to realise our ambitions for our communities, reduce inequalities and accelerate growth in our key economic areas”.

You can see the full wording of the motion to council here.