North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer, and the largest town is North Walsham. The district also includes the towns of Fakenham, Holt, Sheringham, Stalham and Wells-next-the-Sea, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The district lies on the north coast of Norfolk, facing the North Sea, with much of its coastline lying within the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Some south-eastern parts of the district lie within The Broads. The neighbouring districts are Great Yarmouth, Breckland, Broadland and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

History

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering seven former districts which were all abolished at the same time: A committee of the outgoing councils drew up a list of possible names for the new district to be considered by the Local Government Boundary Commission. Suggested names included North Norfolk, Seafields, Pastonacres, Norfolk Coastal and Cromer. The commission chose the name Pastonacres, which had been coined by a member of Smallburgh Rural District Council in recognition of the extensive landholdings in the area of the Paston family in medieval times. The name was not a popular choice locally, and at the very first meeting of the shadow Pastonacres District Council elected in 1973 it was resolved to change the name to North Norfolk, which was agreed by the government in September 1973, before the new district formally came into being in 1974.

Governance

North Norfolk District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Norfolk County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. In the parts of the district within The Broads, town planning is the responsibility of the Broads Authority. The district council appoints one of its councillors to sit on that authority.

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2019. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2004 have been:

Composition

Following the 2023 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2024, the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 40 councillors representing 32 wards, with each ward electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Premises

The council is based at the Council Offices on Holt Road in Cromer. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1990.

Geography

At the time of the 2001 census, the district had an area of 994 km2, with a population of 98,382 in 43,502 households.

Demography

The 2021 census results found that the local authority area had the highest proportions of population over 65 in the England and Wales, at 33.5%.

Towns and parishes

The district is entirely covered by 121 civil parishes. The parish councils for Cromer, Fakenham, Holt, North Walsham, Sheringham, Stalham and Wells-next-the-Sea have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council".

Controversies

Almost £389,000 was given to the council's "joint head of paid services", Nick Baker, in the form of an "exit package", reported Private Eye in October 2020. This was £89,000 more than the council had spent purchasing dwellings to support homeless people in 2019/20, the Eastern Daily Press reported. The council's opposition leader, Christopher Cushing, was quoted describing the payment to Baker as "extraordinary". The Press also reported the total cost of so-called "golden goodbyes" for senior council staff had risen to £1.8 million.

Media

Television

North Norfolk is served by BBC Look East and ITV News Anglia, BBC Look North and ITV News Calendar can also be received.

Radio

Radio stations are served by:

Newspapers

Local newspapers that cover the area are:

Cultural references

The 2013 movie Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa was filmed in the area. The World of Darkness parody web series, Hunter: The Parenting, is set in the area.