Norwich City Council

Norwich City Council
Coat of arms or logo
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Karen Davis,
Independent
since 19 May 2026[1][2]
Lucy Galvin,
Green
since 19 May 2026
Louise Rawsthorne
since 1 May 2023[3]
Structure
Seats39 councillors[4]
Political groups
  Green (21)
  Labour (12)
  Liberal Democrat (3)
  Reform UK (2)
  Independent (1)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
7 May 2026
Next election
N/A
Meeting place
City Hall, St Peter's Street, Norwich, NR2 1NH
Website
www.norwich.gov.uk

Norwich City Council is the local authority for Norwich, a non-metropolitan district with city status in Norfolk, England. It consists of 39 councillors, elected to represent 13 wards, each with three councillors. It forms the lower tier of local government in Norwich, responsible for local services such as housing, planning, leisure and tourism.

History

Norwich was an ancient borough and held city status from 1094 when the Bishop of the East Angles moved the seat of the diocese to Norwich.[5] The city was governed by a corporation, also known as the city council. In 1404 the city was made a county corporate with its own sheriffs and quarter sessions, making it administratively separate from the surrounding county of Norfolk.[6]

The city was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, Norwich was considered large enough for the city council to provide county-level services, and so Norwich was made a county borough, independent from Norfolk County Council.[7] In 1910 the city council was given the right to appoint a lord mayor.[8]

The city was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, becoming a lower-tier district authority with Norfolk County Council providing county-level functions to the city for the first time. The city kept the same outer boundaries, but did gain an exclave from Norfolk containing the Shirehall.[9][10] Norwich kept its borough and city statuses and its lord mayoralty.[11][12]

In 2010 it was proposed to convert Norwich to a unitary authority, making it independent from Norfolk County Council. A structural change order was due to take effect on 1 April 2011. Following the 2010 general election, the coalition government came into office and passed the Local Government Act 2010 cancelling the changes.[13]

From 2028, due to ongoing local government reform Norwich will become a unitary authority called Greater Norwich, which will also incorporate parts of the current districts of Broadland and South Norfolk.[14][15]

Governance

Norwich City Council provides district-level services, including housing, town planning, leisure and tourism. County-level services, including schools, social services and libraries and transport, are provided by Norfolk County Council.[16] There are no civil parishes in Norwich, which has been an unparished area since the 1974 reforms.[17]

The city's territory includes part of The Broads, where town planning is the responsibility of the Broads Authority. The city council appoints one of its councillors to sit on that authority.[18]

Political control

The council has been under Green Party majority control since the 2026 election.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:[19][20]

Party in controlYears
Labour1974–2002
Liberal Democrats2002–2004
No overall control2004–2012
Labour2012–2023
No overall control2023–2026
Green2026–

Leadership

The role of Lord Mayor of Norwich is largely ceremonial, and is generally held by a different person each year. Political leadership is provided instead by the leader of the council. The leaders since the 1974 reforms have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Arthur South[21][22]Labour19741978
Len Stevenson[22]Labour19781983
Patricia Hollis[23]Labour19831988
Janet Sillett[24]Labour19881993
Alan Waters[25]Labour19931998
Nick Williams[26]Labour19982002
Ian Couzens[27][28]Liberal Democrats2002May 2006
Steve Morphew[29]LabourMay 2006May 2011
Brenda Arthur[30][31]Labour17 May 201126 May 2015
Alan Waters[32][33]Labour26 May 2015May 2023
Mike Stonard[34][35]Labour23 May 2023May 2026
Lucy Galvin[36]Green19 May 2026

Composition

Following the 2026 election, the composition of the council was:[37]

Party Councillors
Green21
Labour12
Liberal Democrats3
Reform2
Independent1
Total39

Premises

The council is based at City Hall on St Peter's Street, overlooking Norwich Market in the city centre. The building was completed in 1938 and is a Grade II* listed building.[38]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 13 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term. Norfolk County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no city council elections.[39]

Coat of arms

The city arms with unofficial angel supporters from a 1903 cigarette card

The city council's arms consist of a red shield featuring a silver-domed castle above a royal lion.[40][41][42] The blazon of the arms is:

Gules, a castle triple-towered and domed Argent; in base a lion passant guardant Or.[40][42]

The arms appeared on a 15th-century seal and were confirmed during a heraldic visitation in 1562 by William Harvey, Clarenceux King of Arms. According to Wilfrid Scott-Giles, the royal lion was said to have been granted by Edward III.[41] By the 19th century the city corporation had added supporters to the arms—two angels—which were surmounted by a fur cap. These apparently originated in a carving of about 1534 outside Norwich Guildhall. A. C. Fox-Davies noted that "whether or not these figures were then intended for heraldic supporters is a matter for dispute. At any rate there is no official authority for their use".[42] Following the abolition of the county borough of Norwich in 1974, an Order in Council transferred the ancient coat of arms (the shield alone) to the newly created city council.[43] The city council has also received the grant of an heraldic badge, depicting the seal of 1404 encircled by the Lord Mayor's chain.[44]

Norwich City Services

Norwich City Services Ltd
TypeLimited
IndustryMunicipal services
Founded9 June 2020
FounderNorwich City Council
Headquarters
Norwich
,
United Kingdom
Area served
Norwich city and surrounding areas
ServicesWaste management, street cleaning, pest control, grounds maintenance
OwnerNorwich City Council
WebsiteOfficial website

Norwich City Services Limited also known as NCSL or Norwich Services Ltd is a municipal services company wholly owned by the council. Founded on 9 June 2020, the company aims to provide essential services to the residents and businesses of Norwich, England.[45] The company offers a range of services beyond those provided on behalf of the City council, including environmental, cleaning, and grounds maintenance services for private businesses, organizations, and schools. Prices are available upon request. The current services available to book include:

References

  1. ↑ "New leader and cabinet member line-up announced". Norwich City Council. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Council minutes, 19 May 2026". Norwich City Council. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "New permanent chief executive for Norwich City Council confirmed". Norwich City Council. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Norwich Councillors". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "General Synod Dioceses Commission – Background and History". Church of England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Norwich" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 819–820.
  7. ↑ "Norwich Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  8. ↑ The King and Norwich, The Times, 7 February 1910
  9. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 28 June 2023
  10. ↑ "1:25000 Administrative Area map 1947". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  11. ↑ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "No. 46255". The London Gazette. 4 April 1974. p. 4400.
  13. ↑ "The Coalition: our programme for government" (PDF). HM Government, United Kingdom. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  14. ↑ Moseley, Paul (25 March 2026). "Government confirms major shake-up for Norfolk". BBC News. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  15. ↑ Reed, Steve (25 March 2026). "Local Government Reorganisation Statement made on 25 March 2026". UK Parliament.
  16. ↑ Local government in England and Wales: A Guide to the New System. London: HMSO. 1974. p. 72. ISBN 0-11-750847-0.
  17. ↑ "Election maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "Who we are". Broads Authority. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Norwich" in search box to see specific results.)
  20. ↑ "Norwich". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  21. ↑ James, Derek (5 April 2025). "Sir Arthur South, former Norwich City chairman, remembered". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  22. 1 2 "Len Stevenson". Eastern Daily Press. 22 March 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  23. ↑ Cope, Lauren (15 October 2018). "'Champion of Norwich' and Labour peer dies aged 77". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  24. ↑ Greenaway, John; Grantham, Andrew (2000). "Transport Policy Paradigms at the Local Level: The Norwich Inner Ring Road". Public Administration. 78 (4): 815–833. doi:10.1111/1467-9299.00232. Retrieved 25 June 2022. Interviews... Sillett, Janet, Labour Leader of Norwich City Council, 1988-93
  25. ↑ Grimmer, Dan (12 May 2015). "Labour leadership battle at Norwich City Council ends in triumph for Alan Waters". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  26. ↑ Hetherington, Peter (30 April 2002). "Socialist stronghold faces Lib Dem assault". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  27. ↑ Stone-Lee, Ollie (1 May 2006). "The Green challenge in Norwich". BBC News. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  28. ↑ "City Lib Dem leader steps down". Eastern Daily Press. 5 September 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  29. ↑ Welch, Jon (5 June 2025). "Steve Morphew and Brenda Arthur 'did not declare' interest in charity". BBC News. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  30. ↑ "Norwich City Council appoints its new leader". BBC News. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  31. ↑ Grimmer, Dan (27 January 2015). "City council leader to stand down from role, but looks set to be Norwich's next Lord Mayor". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  32. ↑ "Council minutes, 26 May 2015". Norwich City Council. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  33. ↑ Thompson, George (5 May 2023). "Norwich City Council elections 2023 live results". Norwich Evening News. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  34. ↑ "Council minutes, 23 May 2023". Norwich City Council. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  35. ↑ Durand, Henry (13 May 2026). "Norwich Labour choose new leader after disastrous election". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  36. ↑ Durand, Henry (20 May 2026). "New era at City Hall as Greens confirm first leader". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  37. ↑ "Norwich". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  38. ↑ Historic England. "City Hall including Police Station (1210484)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  39. ↑ "The Norwich (Electoral Changes) Order 2019", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2019/199, retrieved 30 June 2023
  40. 1 2 Briggs, Geoffrey (1971). Civic and Corporate Heraldry: A Dictionary of Impersonal Arms of England, Wales and N. Ireland. London: Heraldry Today. pp. 8, 287. ISBN 0-900455-21-7.
  41. 1 2 Scott-Giles, C Wilfrid (1953). Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, 2nd edition. London: J M Dent & Sons. p. 290.
  42. 1 2 3 Fox-Davies, A C (1915). The Book of Public Arms, 2nd edition. London: T C & E C Jack. p. 564.
  43. ↑ The Local Authorities (Armorial Bearings) Order 1974 (S.I. 1974 No. 869)
  44. ↑ Robert Young. "East Anglia and Essex Area". Civic Heraldry of England and Wales. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  45. ↑ "Norwich City Services Ltd (NCSL)".
  46. ↑ Council, Norwich City. "Pest control | Norwich City Council". www.norwich.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  47. ↑ Council, Norwich City. "Tractor services | Norwich City Council". www.norwich.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  48. ↑ Council, Norwich City. "Cleaning | Norwich City Council". www.norwich.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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