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Cllr Mal Gray, North Walsham (2026)

28/09/2026

Here is my report covering 25th July - 28th Sept.

22/09/2026

Today I attended the September meeting of Norfolk County Council’s Full Council.

The Council debated the new Standing Up for Norfolk strategy, setting out priorities through to 2030.

I think having a clear direction is a good thing and there are certainly ambitions within the strategy that I can support. My concern is that, at the moment, it feels more like a brochure telling us what the Council wants to achieve rather than a plan showing how it will actually be delivered.

We need measurable outcomes and timescales so that councillors and residents can judge whether these ambitions are being achieved. A more detailed delivery plan is due in November, and that will be where much of this detail needs to appear.

The future of Norfolk’s NorseCare homes was also raised. I remain concerned about the possibility of selling these homes into the private sector and losing the safety net that comes from retaining residential care provision within the Council’s direct control.

It was encouraging to hear that a range of options are still being considered. There is clearly more work to be done, but I hope this provides an opportunity to reconsider the future of the homes before any final decision is made.

Council also agreed to introduce a new Gateway Assurance process for contracts and projects.
Stronger controls that can identify problems earlier, improve contract management and reduce the risk of public money being wasted are welcome, which is why I supported the motion.

I was less persuaded by the suggestion within the motion that overspends more often result from inadequate scoping, weak risk management or poor contract oversight than genuinely unavoidable circumstances.

Cllr Antony Little challenged this rather colourfully during the debate, referring to being able to “hold back changes of scope”, “hold back unforeseen circumstances” and, “most impressively”, “hold back inflation”.

Better controls and scrutiny are sensible, but there will always be factors outside the Council’s control. The real test will be whether the new process helps identify and manage risks earlier and improves how major contracts are managed.

We also debated a Liberal Democrat motion about young people aged 16–24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

The original motion sought a more joined-up approach between the different organisations and services supporting young people. This is important because one of the risks identified is fragmentation, with young people potentially falling through the gaps between services without anyone seeing the whole picture.

I did not support the Reform amendment, which removed much of that approach and placed greater reliance on existing structures.

If silo working and fragmentation are part of the problem, continuing to rely on the same structures risks leaving those gaps in place. There was some irony after hearing earlier in the meeting that “if you keep doing things the same way, you get the same outcomes”, only to then amend this proposal in a way that risks doing exactly that.

The amended motion ultimately passed. I hope the work that follows succeeds, but I would have preferred us to take the opportunity to be more ambitious about joining services together and making sure no young person falls through the gaps.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) also returned to the agenda.

A Conservative motion asked for the full cost of LGR to Norfolk County Council to be established and called on the Government to reimburse the Council for costs incurred through the process.
We had already heard during the meeting that around £1.2 million had been spent by Norfolk County Council on LGR. I supported the motion and was disappointed that it did not receive enough support to pass.

Finally, I also supported a motion from Cllr Ben Weston calling for greater transparency over utility companies carrying out works on Norfolk’s roads.

The proposal asked for an annual report showing how the major utility companies are performing, including works overrunning their permits, breaches, defects left following reinstatement and enforcement action taken by the Council. It also asked for persistent poor performance to be more clearly escalated.

Unfortunately, that motion was also unsuccessful. Given the disruption poorly managed roadworks can cause to residents and businesses, I thought greater transparency over how individual utility companies are performing would have been useful.

Meeting recording:
⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kENkn-2O-R4

Agenda and papers:
⁠https://norfolkcc.cmis.uk.com/norfolkcc/CalendarofMeetings/tabid/128/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/496/Meeting/2464/Committee/2/Default.aspx

17/09/2026

Yesterday Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner attended North Norfolk District Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

I raised the continuing problems with antisocial behaviour in North Walsham and asked how we get back to more visible, proactive policing rather than simply responding when incidents occur.

The PCC agreed with much of what I raised and asked me to send him the details so he could look into the situation. I will do that, and I’ll be keeping an eye on what changes we actually see in North Walsham as a result.

There was very little specific discussion about North Norfolk until the lack of local focus was raised. The PCC responded that he represents the whole county. While that’s obviously true, he was appearing before North Norfolk District Council’s Scrutiny Committee, and I think it was reasonable to expect considerably more about policing in North Norfolk.

When discussing what neighbourhood policing might look like here, he said he didn’t expect towns such as Holt, Cromer and Sheringham to have two officers based in each town, suggesting instead that officers could potentially be centred in one location and cover surrounding communities.

If the ambition is to bring neighbourhood policing back, I think we need more detail about what that will actually mean in practice. Residents across North Norfolk need to see a genuinely local and visible police presence.

I also challenged his comments around shops selling illegal vapes and to***co. We know that premises can be raided and illegal products seized, only for the same problems to continue afterwards. Repeated raids are not enough if they don’t ultimately stop the offending.

There was a wide-ranging discussion covering domestic abuse, rural crime, speeding and demands on police resources.

There was also an interesting discussion around the second-home Council Tax premium. The PCC acknowledged this was outside his comfort zone, but after the position was explained, agreed there was a valid conversation to be had about the additional policing income generated from North Norfolk.

The PCC also confirmed that he will no longer be going ahead with the extensive theatre tour planned for next year.

16/09/2026

New Health Stations across Norfolk

Yesterday I attended an event at King’s Lynn Library, marking the introduction of new Health Stations across Norfolk.

Six self-service stations are being installed in public locations across the county, including North Walsham.

The stations provide a free health check in around four minutes, measuring blood pressure, heart rate, weight, height, BMI and body fat.

Results are provided straight away, along with a risk score and guidance on what to do next. Where further action may be needed, this can include being signposted to a pharmacist or GP.

15/09/2026

When one part of the council doesn’t know what another part is doing, how can informed decisions be made?

At Thursday’s Infrastructure and Development Select Committee, Cllr Callum Ringer raised concerns on behalf of North Walsham East and West division about the de-illumination trials on Walcott Road in Bacton and Cromer Road in North Walsham.

He asked why there had been no feedback following the trials and highlighted residents’ perception of safety.

The committee was told that the majority of feedback had been positive.

But the written response we subsequently received raises more questions than it answers.

For Bacton, officers acknowledge receiving negative feedback from residents - including correspondence involving our MP.

For Cromer Road, they say they received no reports identifying it as an area of particular concern.

So what was the positive feedback? How much was received? And how was the conclusion that it was “majority positive” reached?

No recorded feedback is not the same as positive feedback.

There is another worrying disconnect. Officers say they are unaware of any active development proposals directly affecting Cromer Road.

Yet at the beginning of April, I wrote to officers about the proposed Premier Inn, forwarding my planning response and specifically highlighting the impact on the de-illumination trial. Norfolk County Council were also consulted on this planning application, and the western extension to the town.

This isn’t simply about whether lights remain on or off. It is about whether different parts of the council are sharing information and whether decisions affecting our communities are being made using the complete picture.

Residents deserve a clear explanation of what feedback was received, what evidence was considered and why relevant development proposals appear to have been missed.

https://www.youtube.com/live/JqtX9KSzx04?si=a-aXWE1iGvmK_UvY

2:25:30 for question and answer

(And a tiny correction for Cllr Ringer: it’s a proposed Premier Inn, not a Holiday Inn. Though given the number of wrong turns in this whole saga, perhaps the brand is the least of our problems!)

11/09/2026

The All Age Carers Handbook brings together information and advice for people who provide unpaid care or support to someone.

It covers a wide range of things that carers may need to know, including their rights, practical help and support, looking after their own health and wellbeing, planning for the future and where to go for further help.

There are also dedicated sections for parent carers and young carers.

Importantly, you don’t have to think of yourself as a “carer”. Many people simply see themselves as looking after their partner, child, parent, another relative or a friend.

The handbook is available online and as a downloadable PDF.

There is also a printed version, which can be ordered for collection from a local library.

If you support someone in an unpaid capacity, or know somebody who does, this is a great resource.

Find out more here: 👇
https://www.carersvoice.org/carers-handbook/

10/09/2026

Yesterday I attended Norfolk County Council’s Adult Social Care and Public Health Select Committee.

One of the items discussed was the Communities and Neighbourhoods programme, which is looking at how services and organisations can work together locally to support people earlier and help prevent or delay the need for more formal care.

I asked officers for some clarity on a few points.

North Norfolk
There was no mention of North Norfolk in the information presented to us. I raised this, particularly given the challenges of delivering services across a rural and coastal area and my concern that North Norfolk can sometimes be left waiting for services and initiatives to reach us.

Officers explained that place-level plans are currently being developed, including for North Norfolk, setting out what will be delivered in each area. They offered to share the North Norfolk plan once developed, which I’ve asked to see.

VCSE capacity
The programme involves working with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE), so I asked how capacity is being considered. Not every area has large, established organisations. Smaller organisations with relatively few volunteers do amazing work, but there is only so much they can offer without further support.

Officers acknowledged that their demand and capacity modelling isn’t yet where it needs to be, and said this work needs to be developed with local communities rather than simply imposed from the top down.

Where does the buck stop?
My last question was about accountability. When several organisations are working together to support somebody, what happens when something goes wrong, and who ultimately takes responsibility?

Officers acknowledged that this can be a problem in multi-agency working, including cases being passed between organisations.
The intention with the new model is that the neighbourhood team as a whole takes responsibility for supporting the resident, while individual organisations remain accountable for their own responsibilities.

Some useful answers and, importantly, a few things to follow up as the programme develops, particularly that North Norfolk plan.

09/09/2026

Last night I attended the Trunch Parish Council meeting, but beforehand I couldn’t resist getting a photo of the latest postbox topper. The time and care put into these is incredible. Thank you, Dawn. 😊

While at the meeting, I spoke about the North Norfolk Mobile Connectivity Survey, which is currently gathering residents’ experiences of mobile coverage across the district.

The survey is about real-world experience, we really need your responses. If it’s on the way to work, at home or walking to the shop. Please take the time to complete the survey and lets us know.

⚠️ Quick technical note: If you’re on your phone, please copy the link and paste it into your browser.

👉 Take part here: bit.ly/3SjjjbI

22/08/2026

🌧️ A useful bit of rain for spotting drainage problems!

As part of my regular visits around the division, I spend some time walking the area looking for highway defects and other issues that need reporting.

Yesterday’s visit to Mundesley came with plenty of rain, which made it a particularly good opportunity to see where drains may need attention and where surface water is sitting on the highway.

After such a prolonged spell of dry weather, the rain itself was certainly welcome, even if I did get rather wet!

I spotted a blocked drain or two during the walk, along with areas of standing water on the highway, so those will be reported for attention.

Sometimes you need a rainy day to see exactly where the problems are! 🌧️

21/08/2026

🚗 Parking issues in Mundesley

I was in Mundesley today to meet with residents near Tesco Express regarding the ongoing parking issues in the area.

There has already been consultation on seasonal yellow-line restrictions, with objections raised that the restrictions should instead apply throughout the year. I’ve supported the move to all-year-round restrictions.

Today’s visit was a chance to look at the situation on the ground with residents. Vehicles parking along the road and pavement can significantly reduce the available road width, meaning traffic sometimes has to move into the opposing lane to get through.

Residents also raised concerns about vehicles parking very close to their gates and accesses.

While there, I also looked at the bus stop close to the Tesco car park entrance. Its position and the lack of a bus shelter are both things I’ll be looking into further.

I’ll now follow up on the parking concerns and the other issues raised during today’s visit.

Cllr Mal Gray

28/09/2026

22/09/2026

17/09/2026

16/09/2026

15/09/2026

11/09/2026

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