Massive election news for Norfolk, perhaps

Conservative high command has given its strongest commitment yet that a David Cameron-led government would torpedo any council overhaul in Norfolk and Suffolk, according to the EDP.

This is welcome news if true. While there will be those who mourn the "millions poured down the drain", the proposed single unitary authority would cost us far more in terms of lost local democracy and dwindling resources chanelled towards Norwich and King's Lynn.

"Shadow local government minister Bob Neill said the Tories would give a manifesto commitment to overturn any plans to replace the current set-up of seven districts and the county council with a unitary structure - even if the government went with plans to elect a new unitary authority in May," the EDP report goes on.

"The move raises the strange prospect for democracy that voters would go to the polls to elect a new council which could be immediately scrapped."

Far stranger than this would be the potential bun fight with Tories fighting Tories. Standing back and watching the current stand-off over the local government review from a distance, it's already clear that it's caused some deep divisions.

Returning power to local communities and "smaller government" do niot mean creating some super-monolith to rule Norfolk.

Another line in the EDP report leaps out: "The committee has been swayed by the case, ironically put forward by Norfolk County Council, that the new council could save £25m a year by cutting red tape and duplication alone while also giving more power to grassroots communities and parish councils."

What's so ironic about a load of County Hall officials looking to dump a few country Tories in places like King's Lynn, Cromer and Dereham so they can control the way the cake gets carved..?