Norfolk County Council has asked the government to postpone its local elections this year, in the first step towards a major shake-up of local authorities. Councillors voted in favour of working with Westminster on a plan which would see the smaller councils scrapped and a mayor overseeing Norfolk and Suffolk.

West Norfolk Council’s leader is “deeply concerned” that county elections could be postponed as part of plans to secure a new devolution deal.

A council has voted to ask the government to postpone the local elections in May and fast track the county for devolution. A government Devolution White Paper, published in December, outlined plans to scrap two-tier councils and replace them with strategic authorities - and an overseeing mayor.

Politicians across Sussex plan to postpone local elections in May in favour of electing a mayor and replacing councils with unitary authorities. East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove councils met on Thursday and agreed on plans to create one strategic authority under a mayor.

The meeting, which took place on Thursday afternoon, discussed the plans and went in favour of the government's Devolution White Paper. The government announced in December it would would like to reorganise how local government works and do away with district and county councils in favour of unitary authorities,

If approved, countywide elections would be delayed until May 2026, potentially to elect councillors to a single, brand-new, unitary authority that would replace Worcestershire's seven existing councils.