Norfolk County Council has voted down a motion that would have seen it formally oppose the government's plans to reorganise local government in the county, with the proposal losing by a margin of 51 votes to 22.

The Conservative motion, proposed by Cllr Daniel Elmer, argued that local government reorganisation is "not desired by the majority of residents" and that Norfolk is not receiving the benefits originally promised when it entered the government's Devolution Priority Programme.

The motion had called on the Leader to write to the Secretary of State requesting the changes be abandoned, and to work with other authorities to use "all available procedural and legal tools" to prevent reorganisation going ahead.

Under current government plans, Norfolk's existing two-tier system — Norfolk County Council alongside seven district and borough councils — would be replaced by three new unitary authorities, expected to take effect in 2028.

The motion raised concerns that the proposals would end Great Yarmouth's independence "for the first time in centuries" and place coastal communities alongside inland areas in the same authority. It also questioned the financial sustainability of the proposed new councils, pointing to the significant upfront costs of reorganisation.

In a written response to a question from Cllr Brian Watkins, newly elected Council Leader Cllr David Bick said the reorganisation would cost Norfolk taxpayers a one-off sum of £96 million, with no guarantee of savings. He said it "simply does not make sense" to spend that amount creating "years of disruption" with "no real gain for local communities", and confirmed he would fight to maintain the two-tier system.

Despite the motion's defeat, the issue is likely to remain politically contested, with the council's new administration on record as opposing reorganisation even as the majority of councillors declined to formally back legal action to stop it.