Suffolk and Norfolk have been accepted onto the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme, which will consider proposals to establish a new Mayoral Combined County Authority for Suffolk and Norfolk that could see elections for a Mayor for Suffolk and Norfolk take place in 2026. A Government-led public consultation seeking views on the proposals closes on the 13^th of April.

In a parallel process, Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils are leading on proposals for a restructuring of local government that would see the creation of new ‘unitary authorities’ to replace the current two-tier local government structure of County and District or Borough Councils.

The UK is one of the world’s most nature depleted countries, with 1 in 6 UK species at risk of being lost and the majority of important habitats in poor condition – impacting climate change, flooding, water quality, and air quality.

In an open letter published today, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, RSPB, River Waveney Trust and Norfolk Rivers Trust, are calling for devolution to include funding and commitment to nature recovery in the region.

The nature charities have called for:

1. Funding settlements for the new Mayoral and unitary authorities to include ring-fenced funding for nature recovery and the delivery of Local Nature Recovery Strategies currently being developed across England, including in Suffolk and Norfolk.
    
2. The new authorities to be able to secure meaningful contributions to nature recovery from major development, including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects like Sizewell C, offshore wind, solar farms, and National Grid transmission infrastructure.
    
3. New Mayoral and unitary authorities to have a duty to publish a coordinated action plan (or plans) for meeting local targets to contribute to the government’s commitments to nature recovery, including:
   • Protecting, restoring, and expanding nature reserves and other wildlife sites
   • Halting declines in the abundance of species by 2030
   • Protecting 30% our land and ocean by 2030
   • Restoring our rivers to good ecological health
      

Read the open letter

Christine Luxton, CEO of Suffolk Wildlife Trust, says:

“Suffolk and Norfolk are known for their wealth of wildlife, from coastal wetlands and estuaries to expanses of heathland and rich river valleys. Nature is a one of our most precious assets – it underpins our farming and tourism economies and when we look after it, provides people and businesses with vital goods and services like clean water and protection from flooding. 

“Devolution will give a new Mayoral Combined County Authority a leading role in delivering the Local Nature Recovery Strategies currently being developed for Suffolk and Norfolk. But it will only be able to do this successfully if both it and the new unitary authorities that will be created by the merger of district, borough, and county councils, have adequate resources to work with.

“That’s why we’re asking the leaders shaping these proposals to make sure local government has the resources to lead on nature recovery in Suffolk and Norfolk and deliver the healthy and resilient natural environment we need to support sustainable growth in our counties.”

Rupert Masefield, Planning & Advocacy Manager at Suffolk Wildlife Trusts, adds:

“Suffolk and Norfolk are going to host a significant proportion of the UK’s energy generation and transmission infrastructure over the next 50 years, alongside a high rate of growth in housing. This puts pressure on the natural environment and resources. Devolution could help by empowering local government to maximise the nature-based gains for local people and communities captured from all this development.

“One way to do this would be to increase the minimum level of biodiversity gain required from certain types of development in certain areas. For major energy infrastructure projects, it could include a requirement to contribute to strategic nature restoration that would benefit the people, communities, and businesses in the areas where this new infrastructure is being built. In both cases, the Local Nature Recovery Strategies can help to target measures to have the greatest benefit for nature and people.”

Eliot Lyne, CEO of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, adds:

“Devolution represents a once in a generation opportunity to give local government the resources and powers to deliver genuinely environmentally-positive growth that helps restore nature – an opportunity we can ill afford to miss in the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and the urgent need to turn things around for our natural environment. The time to act is now and getting the right devolution deal for nature, people, businesses, and communities in Suffolk and Norfolk must be the priority for local and national government.”

Martha Meek, Director at River Waveney Trust, says:

“The rivers of Suffolk and Norfolk continue to decline with increased pressures from human activity and need significant investment to become more resilient in the future, particularly as climate change intensifies. As Suffolk and Norfolk are on track to host major energy generation infrastructure, this could provide an opportunity for increased investment into the strategic large scale nature restoration projects our rivers need. Devolution should empower local government to secure this investment and ensure that this new infrastructure improves the state of our rivers.”

Ed Bramham-Jones, CEO of Norfolk Rivers Trust, says:

“Suffolk and Norfolk’s water environments are rich and diverse, offering a wide range of benefits when healthy – from improving leisure and wellbeing for local communities to supplying essential freshwater for the public, agriculture, food and drink industries, and enhancing landscape resilience to floods and droughts.

“Restoring these vital ecosystems to good ecological health requires targeted, coordinated and collaborative efforts. It is crucial that local governments are equipped with the necessary resources and powers to effectively deliver the priorities and actions outlined in the Local Nature Recovery Strategies.”

HAVE YOUR SAY: Norfolk and Suffolk devolution consultation