Norfolk County Council leaders have acknowledged widespread anxiety among the county's local government workforce as plans to replace eight councils with three unitary authorities move forward.

The Leader of the Council confirmed there are over 10,000 roles across county and district level in Norfolk. A staff webinar held immediately after the Government's "minded to" decision attracted more than 1,000 participants from Norfolk County Council alone.

Councillors raised serious concerns about the pace of support being offered to workers. Members warned that a clear framework and pathway to reassure and retain staff was needed by the end of the third quarter of 2026-27 — roughly December 2026 — or Norfolk risked losing experienced staff in a "brain drain" of talent.

Officers confirmed that Human Resources are offering training packages covering change management and interview skills, and that briefings have been held giving staff direct access to the Chief Executive. However, officers could not confirm whether the workforce and culture workstreams being developed jointly between the county and district councils would be completed by the December 2026 target.

A separate concern was raised about the reorganisation potentially requiring Adult Social Care, Children's Services, and Highways — currently run as single countywide operations — to be split into three separate sets of services, each needing its own management team. Councillors questioned how this would save money compared to the current two-tier system, particularly given existing difficulties with staff retention in Norfolk.

The Leader said she expected countywide services to continue on a shared interim basis while the new unitary authorities establish themselves, but acknowledged that the costs of employing multiple executive director teams would need to be factored into financial planning.

Committee members also raised the prospect of a single shared Adult Social Care and Children's Services department spanning all three new councils as a less risky alternative to splitting the services. Officers noted that decisions on shared services ultimately rest with the shadow authorities, which will not be elected until May 2027. They pointed to other parts of England where shadow authorities had agreed interim shared services as a pragmatic approach.