Henry Durand

Dennis Bacon, a businessman with extensive adult social care experience and the owner of a Norwich bed-and-breakfast, has been selected as the prospective £215,000-a-year chief executive of Reform UK-led Norfolk County Council. Bacon, who won Channel 4’s Four in a Bed last year, previously chaired the Norfolk Independent Care Association for 19 years and served on a regional NHS and council partnership. His appointment requires pre-employment checks and full-council approval, with a potential start date of 7 September. Opposition leaders have criticized the 24-day recruitment period and the lack of Conservative representation on the cross-party interview panel.

Legal protections for stone‑curlews in the Breckland Special Protection Area threaten government plans to house up to 1,250 asylum seekers at RAF Barnham. West Suffolk Council leader Cliff Waterman argues the site cannot be used due to strict ecological regulations that require proof a project poses no harm to the habitat. The Home Office acknowledges receipt of his letter and says any proposal will meet legal and environmental requirements. Ongoing restrictions on development in the region and government efforts to reduce reliance on hotel accommodation frame the dispute, which has also coincided with recent public protests.

A group of protesters confronted Labour MP Terry Jermy in Thetford over government plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Barnham, prompting a police investigation and one arrest. Jermy condemned the behaviour as harassment and criticised a lack of transparency surrounding the proposal. Ministers said no final decision would be taken until assessments were complete, while local councils and residents raised concerns and scheduled further discussions.