Norwich self-rule killed off in Queen's Speech

Work to scrap a controversial shake-up in Norfolk is set to start in earnest today as the government prepares to detail how it will kill off plans to create a new unitary for Norwich.

The writing has been on the wall for the city unitary plans since the formation of the new coalition government, but the pledges were made good in yesterday's Queen's Speech detailing plans for a local government bill to revoke the previous Labour government's plans to create unitary councils in Exeter, Norwich and Suffolk.

The move is a bitter blow for City Hall, which had seen its long held unitary dream finally pass in to law in the last parliament, only to see its unpicking earmarked as a top priority for the new government and incoming communities secretary Eric Pickles.

Instead the government plans to hand more powers to existing councils including scrapping regional housing targets.

Technically the unitary plans will still progress until laws come in to place to stop them. But the proposed bill means that the game is up for a process which has cost council taxpayers in Norfolk millions of pounds.

Derrick Murphy, deputy leader of Norfolk County Council, welcomed the government's commitment and said it was time to move on.

'The government has made it absolutely clear that this is money that could be better spent elsewhere,' Mr Murphy said. 'Eric Pickles has a reputation as someone who does what he says and the fact this was mentioned in the Queen's Speech as a central part of the current government's plans up there with stopping ID cards and raising the pension age shows how serious this government is in pushing it through. The fact that the Queen herself mentioned it shows how pivotal it is.

'It has been divisive, expensive and created uncertainty. We do not want another pound's worth of council taxpayer's money spent on this. We are doing the minimum we can do.

'We have all got to work together for the benefit of Norfolk residents,' Mr Murphy added. 'It has been a distraction, but there are bigger issues with the national finances and we have to work together.

'We've got to dust ourselves down and put this behind us of the people of Norfolk. The olive branches are there and we will talk to anyone and everyone who wants to put Norfolk first.'

Steve Morphew, leader of Norwich City Council said the authority will work constructively with other authorities but the home rule issue will never go away.

'While we will step back from the work we are doing, we will never step away from it,' Mr Morphew said. 'This wasn't about unitary for its own sake, it's about what's the best way of providing the jobs, homes and high quality of life for the people of the city. If we don't have unitary that's a major set back for achieving those things.

'Until the bill has gone through, we won't be absolutely sure what the outcome is going to be and even during its progress we will be looking at whether there are any opportunities to make the case for Norwich either in a unitary context or just Norwich.

'We would like to get the government to pay back what it has cost us to get to this stage. It was a piece of law and if they want to turn it back it's not unreasonable to ask for the money back we have spent.'

Mr Pickles said the decision showed a commitment to 'real localism'.

'This urgent Bill would stop the unnecessary restructuring of councils in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon that would lead to a massive upheaval in all the local councils in those county areas, diverting time and money away from improving frontline services,' he said.

'We have always been vocal in our belief that imposed reorganisations of councils take away the free-will of local people to decide for themselves. This flawed restructuring would lead to council tax rises and service cuts. For example it has been estimated by the county council that the cost of creating a unitary council in Exeter would add over �200 to local council tax bills.'