Norfolk County Council Scraps Sale of 20 Care Homes

The Norfolk County Council has scrapped plans to sell Norse Care and its 20 care homes to Stow Healthcare, a private provider owned by the U.S.-based CGEN Care Group. The current administration withdrew the proposal, which was inherited from a previous Conservative administration, after concluding the deal was not in the best interests of Norfolk residents and taxpayers.

Norse Care, a subsidiary of the council-owned Norse Group, currently operates 17 homes, while three others remain closed. Although the original care provision contract expired in March 2026, the council has extended it through December to ensure continuity of care while it seeks a more locally focused long-term solution. The council confirmed that no payments were made to Stow Healthcare following the collapse of the deal.

Labour MPs Clive Lewis and Alice Macdonald responded by urging the council to provide a binding commitment to keep the infrastructure in public ownership permanently. They argued that essential public infrastructure should not be treated as financial liabilities to be offloaded to commercial contractors. Meanwhile, some council members have called for the reopening of Burman House, which closed in December 2024. The council remains undecided on whether it will manage the services in-house or seek a different provider, as the Norse Group has expressed a desire to exit the care market.