What to expect in Norfolk politics in 2026

A big question mark hangs over politics in Norfolk for 2026, but several major projects should also move forward.

In November the government said it would put back the election for a regional mayor until 2028, and then a few weeks later it said votes for councils could also be postponed.

Plans for controversial energy schemes – including some of the largest solar farms proposed for the UK – will be submitted to the government.

And work will continue on big developments, including Anglia Square in Norwich and upgrades to the A47.

Towards the end of last year, county councillors expressed concerns that this year's local elections would be postponed – as they were in 2025 – but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said "there would have to be a very good reason" to delay them.

However, just a few days later, ministers told council leaders they would consider postponing polls until 2027 - to give more time to reorganise local government - if they requested a delay by 15 January.

Two local authorities in Norfolk – the county council and Norwich City Council – are scheduled to hold elections in May

The county council's Conservative leader Kay Mason-Billig said she still wanted voting to go ahead.

But Mike Stonard, the Labour leader of the city council, has remained silent.

Assuming they go ahead, all 84 county council seats in Norfolk will be up for grabs.

It is an authority dominated by its 53 Conservative members, with the next two largest parties – the Liberal Democrats and Labour – holding 10 and nine seats respectively.

The Greens, with four, and Reform, with two, will both hope their growing popularity nationally will see their numbers increase.

While Labour has run the city council since 2006, it has seen its majority whittled away in recent years and in 2023 lost overall control.

It currently holds 19 out of 39 seats but the Greens have 16 and could potentially become the largest group.

"If Labour are planning to cancel elections without any kind of discussion or process, it's unacceptable," warned Green group leader Lucy Galvin.

A number of the largest solar farms in the country have been proposed for Norfolk and there should be movement for some of those.

At the end of last year, energy firm Island Green Power was told its 2,700-acre (1,090-hectare) East Pye site, near Long Stratton, would get a connection to the power grid.

It said it expected to formally submit its proposals to the Planning Inspectorate in February.

The company said the inspectorate had also agreed to examine proposals for the similarly sized Droves solar and battery storage scheme.

However, the future of the Tasway project, which would also be built in south Norfolk, has been thrown into doubt.

Its developers, Aukera, said they were "reviewing next steps" after being told they had not been given a date to connect to the grid.

RWE, which wants to build the 4,000-acre (1,600-hectare) High Grove project, planned for five sites near Swaffham and Dereham, would not say if it had been offered a connection – but did say it was "considering the implications for our current and future projects".

The £100m regeneration of the North Quay in Great Yarmouth – including a cinema, retail outlet and hotel – should move forward.

The borough council, which says the project will create hundreds of jobs, expects a planning application to be ready in spring or early summer.

In Norwich, the demolition of Anglia Square and the surrounding area will continue, so that more than 1,000 flats can be built.

According to the city council, after the shopping centre has been levelled the multi-storey car park will come down, and the cinema – featuring its iconic Alan Partridge mural – will go next.

The Gildengate House and Sovereign House office blocks will then be levelled, with the aim to have demolition completed by the end of spring.

While the long-running campaign to fully dual the A47 will undoubtedly continue, a stretch of dual carriageway between Great Yarmouth and Norwich should open in the spring.

Costing £90m, the 2.6-mile (4.2km) stretch will replace the existing single-lane section between Blofield and North Burlingham.

Construction of the 2.1-mile (3.5km) West Winch Housing Access Road is due to start in the winter and will serve up to 4,000 homes south of King's Lynn.

It is expected to take up to two years to build, but costs have already spiralled.

An initial budget of £91m has risen to £109m, and the county council has said the final bill could be almost £122m.

But do not expect the works on the Thickthorn junction on the A11, near Norwich, to finish this year.

National Highways says they are due to be completed in spring 2027.

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