Norfolk County Council has asked the government to postpone its local elections this year, in the first step towards a major shake-up of local authorities. Councillors voted in favour of working with Westminster on a plan which would see the smaller councils scrapped and a mayor overseeing Norfolk and Suffolk.

Sue Maki has been elected president of the Hamilton County Council, replacing Amy Massillamany, and will serve alongside co-Vice Presidents Brad Beaver and Steve Nation.

A council has voted to ask the government to postpone the local elections in May and fast track the county for devolution. A government Devolution White Paper, published in December, outlined plans to scrap two-tier councils and replace them with strategic authorities - and an overseeing mayor.

At least 12 out of 21 county councils due to hold elections in May are poised to ask ministers to delay the ballots to explore options set out in a major redesign of local government announced in December.

Kent County Council has voted to press on with sweeping local government reforms which will include a directly elected mayor

The meeting, which took place on Thursday afternoon, discussed the plans and went in favour of the government's Devolution White Paper. The government announced in December it would would like to reorganise how local government works and do away with district and county councils in favour of unitary authorities,