The Norfolk Record Office (NRO) could be broken up when Norfolk's councils are reorganised into three new unitary authorities in April 2028, a committee has heard.

The government's 'minded to' decision in March 2026 confirmed that East Norfolk Council, West Norfolk Council, and Greater Norwich City Council will be established on 1 April 2028. Each new authority will need to decide what it wants to do with archive services — either continuing a shared countywide arrangement or going it alone.

County Archivist Gary Tuson told the Norfolk Records Committee on 24 April that the risk of disaggregation is marked red on the NRO's risk register. Concerns raised at the meeting included the potential loss of specialist staff, the disruption to planned storage expansion work, and damage to the NRO's national reputation.

One committee member warned the process would be "a significant undertaking on a short timeline with a tight budget," while another noted that Norfolk currently benefits from comprehensive countywide heritage services that would be costly and complicated to divide up.

Historical precedent was also cited: before the 1974 local government reorganisation, Norfolk had a combined Norfolk and Norwich Record Office, with records held centrally.

Members voted unanimously to ask the Committee Chair to write to the leading officers at each district council and Norfolk County Council, making the case for a single countywide archives service to be retained after reorganisation — with adequate funding to support it.

The committee was also told that shadow authorities for the three new councils will not be established until May 2027, leaving a tight window before the April 2028 vesting date. The County Archivist confirmed that scenario planning is already underway, covering both a continued joint service and a potential split.

A further report setting out the options for the NRO after reorganisation is expected to come before the committee at its July 2026 meeting. District council members of the committee were also encouraged to raise the case for a single service at their own full council meetings.