Great Yarmouth Borough Council to dissolve partnership in order to focus on challenges faced by communities

GYBC leader, Councillor Carl Smith, said: ''In 2016 the council entered into a Partnership agreement with Suffolk Coastal, Waveney (now East Suffolk Council) and North Norfolk District Councils to share resources and prioritise activities relating to coastal matters. This created 'Coastal Partnership East' (CPE).

''As our residents are all too well aware, being on the frontline of one of Europe's fastest changing coastlines is increasingly presenting unique and significant challenges for the borough.

''The rapid pace of climate change is affecting all of us and, where once CPE was the most appropriate approach to coastal management and to set priorities along more than 100 miles of Norfolk and Suffolk coastline, it is now unwieldy and not responsive enough for us to be able to deliver bespoke, innovative and creative solutions at pace as we adapt to erosion locally.

''We have worked hard and collaboratively to find effective responses to this most difficult scenario, within challenging financial times and a lack of central Government funding and strategy on the matter. But for us to meet the specific challenges the borough faces, bringing back coastal management responsibilities into the council is the only way forward.

''We have lobbied long and hard for Government to provide more support and help for the borough and its residents to enable us to ensure our communities - and hugely important tourism sector - can successfully adapt to coastal erosion.

''Dissolving CPE will empower us to be able to do that even more effectively and with more focus -  and to work closely with the Environment Agency on priorities for this borough.

''Climate change and rapid coastal erosion is here to stay and this is a change that will best help us help our residents as we continue to work closely with our communities, stakeholders and partners.''

Councillor Smith also said the council would continue to support partnership working and explore service-level agreements with other Local Authorities as appropriate.