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Council meeting minutes, translated into plain English

Thursday, 28 May 2026

Council rejects motion to protect social care and SEND from budget cuts

A motion calling for guarantees that efficiency savings would not reduce frontline care hours or worsen SEND assessment backlogs was defeated by 50 votes to 24. The council faces a £41.6 million funding gap that threatens adult social care and children's services.

Thursday, 28 May 2026

Social CareCounty Council

Council votes to halt sale of Norfolk care homes to overseas firm

A motion to pause the planned sell-off of all 20 Norfolk County Council care homes to an overseas-owned company was defeated at the May 2026 full council meeting. The previous administration had agreed in principle to sell the homes, which are run by council-owned Norse Care. The new administration voted down the motion 52 to 25.

Social CareCounty Council

Council votes to review £3m heating oil fund amid rural cost crisis

Norfolk County Council has voted to review its £3 million Heating Oil Crisis Fund after concerns that eligibility rules are leaving struggling households without support. Around 70,000 Norfolk homes rely on heating oil and many fall outside the current income thresholds. The motion was narrowly defeated on the chair's casting vote, but sparked significant debate.

Tuesday, 28 April 2026

Social CareAudit and Governance

Norfolk council's adult care risk quietly downgraded despite 'Requires Improvement' CQC verdict

A key corporate risk linked to adult social care has been moved off Norfolk County Council's top-level risk register, despite the service recently receiving a 'Requires Improvement' rating from the Care Quality Commission. A committee member raised concerns that the change reduces elected members' ability to scrutinise the issue.

Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Social CareStrategic and Corporate Select Committee

Norfolk services face 'postcode lottery' risk under three-council split

County-wide services like Adult Social Care and Children's Services could be broken into three separate operations under Norfolk's reorganisation, raising fears of unequal provision across the county. Council leaders are now being urged to keep shared services running as an interim measure while new authorities get established.

Tuesday, 7 April 2026

Social CareCabinet

Norfolk care home sale draws public opposition amid ownership concerns

Residents and councillors challenged Norfolk County Council over its plan to sell NorseCare homes to a UK-registered company with US healthcare connections. Cabinet defended the process, saying all bidders had undergone due diligence and that the sale decision made in January 2026 would not be revisited.

Tuesday, 24 March 2026

Social CareCounty Council

Council Rejects Motion on CQC Scrutiny After Care Reports 'Risk Being Buried'

Norfolk County Council voted down a motion calling for tougher scrutiny of Care Quality Commission reports, after councillors raised concerns that damning inspection findings on adult social care and Swallowtail Place had not been properly examined. The motion failed 19 votes to 31.

Social CareCounty Council

Council Votes Down Call for Care Home Survey Before Any Sale

Councillors rejected a motion demanding condition surveys of all council-owned care homes before any disposal of the care estate goes ahead. The motion argued the widely-cited £80m upgrade figure was being misrepresented, and called for NorseCare to be considered as a standalone social enterprise.

Wednesday, 11 March 2026

Social CareAdult Social Care and Public Health Select Committee

Norfolk launches All-Age Carers Strategy to better support unpaid carers

Norfolk County Council has set out a new All-Age Carers Strategy aimed at improving support for unpaid carers of all ages, from young carers in schools to adults who may not even realise they are caring for someone. The strategy was co-designed with carers and builds on recommendations from a recent Care Quality Commission inspection report.

Social CareAdult Social Care and Public Health Select Committee

Norfolk overhauls adult social care with 22-project transformation plan

Norfolk County Council's adult social care service is pushing forward a major overhaul involving 22 separate projects, covering areas from day centres to nursing home provision and new technology. Councillors raised concerns about bureaucracy, market stability, and whether small care providers will be supported through the changes.

Monday, 2 March 2026

Social CareCabinet

Cost-of-Living Support Fund Replaced by New Three-Year Crisis Scheme

The Household Support Fund, which helped over 12,000 Norfolk families, ends on 31 March 2026 and is being replaced by a new Crisis and Resilience Fund running until 2029. The new fund comes with less money and new rules that prevent the council from issuing cost-of-living vouchers.

Thursday, 12 February 2026

Social CareNorfolk Local Access Forum

Council accessibility team urges early involvement in outdoor projects

Norfolk County Council's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team told the Norfolk Local Access Forum that involving accessibility experts from the start of any project — rather than as an afterthought — leads to better outcomes for disabled people. The team warned that competing access needs can make solutions complex, but early consultation helps establish whether a project is viable at all.

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

Social CareAudit and Governance

Norse care home sale to Stow Healthcare: council to clarify financial impact

Following the in-principle agreement to sell Norse's care operations to Stow Healthcare, councillors asked how the deal would be reflected in Norfolk Council's financial reporting. Officers have agreed to provide a written response to the committee.