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Town Hall & politics · Breckland Council

The Conservatives hold a majority on Breckland Council

Great Hockham is run by Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council, with Hockham parish council for local matters. The Conservatives have a majority on Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council. Its MP is George Freeman (Conservative), member for Mid Norfolk.

Council tax 2026–27

£2,378

Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.

Where it goes →
Band D council tax
£2,378
2026–27, a year
Ward councillors
2
1 ward · Breckland
MP
George Freeman
Conservative · Mid Norfolk
Turnout, July 2024
61%
Mid Norfolk · England 60%
What stands out · In brief

How Great Hockham’s politics has changed since 2021

A majority on Breckland Council

The Conservatives hold a majority on Breckland Council: 31 of its 49 seats as elected. Labour holds 9, independents 5, Reform UK 3 and the Greens 1. Who’s in charge ↓

Norfolk in 2021

Norfolk County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, has a Conservative majority at the May 2021 election: the Conservatives won 53 of 84 seats. Norfolk ↓

Council tax

A Band D bill in Great Hockham is £2,378 for 2026–27; Breckland Council keeps 5% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 57% in ten years, in line with England’s 56%. Council money ↓

Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.

Who’s in charge

Who holds the seats on Great Hockham’s councils

Seats by party as elected. A party needs 25 of Breckland’s 49 or 43 of Norfolk’s 84 seats to run the council alone.

District council · 49 councillorsBreckland CouncilConservative majority
GreenLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeReform UKReform UKReform UK49seats
  • Conservative31
  • Labour9
  • Independent5
  • Reform UK3
  • Green1

Latest election: May 2023.

County council · 84 councillors · Great Hockham elects 1Norfolk County CouncilConservative majority
GreenGreenGreenGreenLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeReform UKReform UK84seats
  • Conservative53
  • Labour11
  • Liberal Democrat10
  • Green4
  • Independent4
  • Reform UK2

Latest election: May 2021.

GreenLabourLiberal DemocratIndependentConservativeReform UK

Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.

Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.

Who runs Great Hockham

Two tiers of council, and a parish tier

Great Hockham has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.

Town or parish councilHockham parish council

Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.

100% of Great Hockham’s residents · Band D precept £65

District councilBreckland Council

Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.

Website ↗
County councilNorfolk County Council

Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.

Website ↗

Who to ask

Bins and recyclingBreckland Council
Planning applicationsBreckland Council
Council housing and homelessnessBreckland Council
Council tax billsBreckland Council
Parks and leisure centresBreckland Council
Allotments, play areas, benchesHockham parish council
Potholes, roads and streetlightsNorfolk County Council
Schools and school placesNorfolk County Council
Adult and children’s social careNorfolk County Council
LibrariesNorfolk County Council
Tips and recycling centresNorfolk County Council
Police priorities and budgetNorfolk Constabulary police and crime commissioner

From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.

Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.

Who represents Great Hockham

From the parish to Westminster

Every elected tier that speaks for Great Hockham, from the most recent elections.

  1. 1
    Town or parishParish tier
    Hockham parish council
  2. 2
    Breckland Council1 ward · 2 councillors
    Sarah Elizabeth SuggittPhil Cowen
  3. 3
    Norfolk County Council1 division · 1 councillor
    Edward Stefan Connolly
  4. 4
    Police and crime commissionerNorfolk Constabulary · elected July 2026
    Colin Sutton
  5. 5
    House of CommonsMid Norfolk
ConservativeReform UK

Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.

Councillors

2 councillors for 1 ward

Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.

All Saints & Wayland
635 residents · 8% in Great Hockham
  • Sarah Elizabeth SuggittConservative · May 2023
  • Phil CowenConservative · May 2023
Conservative
Show as a table, with Norfolk County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
WardSeatsElectedWhen
All Saints & Wayland8% in Great Hockham · 635 residents2 seats · May 20232
Sarah Elizabeth SuggittPhil Cowen
May 2023

Norfolk County Council: county divisions

DivisionSeatsElectedWhen
Yare and All Saints ED3% in Great Hockham · 635 residents1 seat · May 20211
Edward Stefan Connolly
May 2021

Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Breckland Council’s website lists who sits now.

Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).

Local elections

Breckland council election, May 2023

Results in the wards that make up Great Hockham, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.

Seats won in Great Hockham’s wards2 seats · 4 May 2023
Conservative2

1 ward voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.

Next elections

No election is scheduled yet for Great Hockham’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.

Who can I vote for? ↗
All Saints & Wayland4 May 2023
Sarah Elizabeth Suggitt ElectedConservative25.1%
Phil Cowen ElectedConservative23.4%
Ian MintoLiberal Democrat18.6%
Ulrike Corinna BehrendtLiberal Democrat14.9%
Ed SzczepanowskiLabour9.0%
Prue SzczepanowskiLabour8.9%

3,374 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each

LabourConservativeLiberal Democrat

Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.

Parliament

Great Hockham is in Mid Norfolk constituency

The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Great Hockham).

Mid Norfolk · general election4 July 2024
George Freeman ElectedConservative36.5%
Michael RosenLabour29.9%
Kabeer KherReform UK20.5%
Stuart HowardLiberal Democrat6.8%
Ash HaynesGreen6.2%

45,897 votes for candidates · majority 3,054

MP for Mid Norfolk

George Freeman

Conservative, MP since 6 May 2010.

61%

turnout in July 2024: 45,897 votes from 75,238 registered voters. England: 60%.

Majority 3,054 of 45,897 votes (6.7%): the 122nd-narrowest of 543 in England.

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreen

MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.

Council money

Great Hockham’s Band D council tax is £2,378 a year

Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.

COUNCIL TAXBand D · 2026–27 · a Band D home in Hockham
Hockham parish councilparish precept£64.83
Breckland Councildistrict council£125.45
Norfolk County Councilcounty council£1,843.38
Norfolk police and crime commissionerpolice and crime£344.79
A year£2,378.45
Bills by band run from 6/9 of Band D (Band A) to 18/9 (Band H). Discounts and support reduce many bills.

Breckland Council keeps £125.45 of a Band D bill (5%); the rest goes to the Hockham parish council, Norfolk County Council and the Norfolk police and crime commissioner.

Band D since 1993

£0£500£1K£1.5K£2K£2.5K1995200020052010201520202025England, 1993–94: £567.95England, 1994–95: £580.11England, 1995–96: £609.00England, 1996–97: £646.00England, 1997–98: £688.00England, 1998–99: £747.00England, 1999–00: £798.00England, 2000–01: £847.00England, 2001–02: £901.33England, 2002–03: £975.56England, 2003–04: £1,101.75England, 2004–05: £1,166.56England, 2005–06: £1,213.81England, 2006–07: £1,267.91England, 2007–08: £1,321.32England, 2008–09: £1,373.08England, 2009–10: £1,413.84England, 2010–11: £1,439.22England, 2011–12: £1,439.33England, 2012–13: £1,444.13England, 2013–14: £1,455.60England, 2014–15: £1,467.98England, 2015–16: £1,483.58England, 2016–17: £1,529.56England, 2017–18: £1,590.55England, 2018–19: £1,671.46England, 2019–20: £1,749.88England, 2020–21: £1,817.67England, 2021–22: £1,898.48England, 2022–23: £1,965.71England, 2023–24: £2,065.05England, 2024–25: £2,170.99England, 2025–26: £2,280.21England, 2026–27: £2,391.52Breckland, 1993–94: £502.88Breckland, 1994–95: £520.88Breckland, 1995–96: £559.13Breckland, 1996–97: £577.16Breckland, 1997–98: £601.80Breckland, 1998–99: £682.23Breckland, 1999–00: £750.21Breckland, 2000–01: £799.97Breckland, 2001–02: £855.32Breckland, 2002–03: £944.18Breckland, 2003–04: £1,090.26Breckland, 2004–05: £1,165.09Breckland, 2005–06: £1,202.42Breckland, 2006–07: £1,264.08Breckland, 2007–08: £1,326.55Breckland, 2008–09: £1,384.21Breckland, 2009–10: £1,429.36Breckland, 2010–11: £1,457.65Breckland, 2011–12: £1,455.42Breckland, 2012–13: £1,463.72Breckland, 2013–14: £1,484.80Breckland, 2014–15: £1,495.17Breckland, 2015–16: £1,499.89Breckland, 2016–17: £1,558.80Breckland, 2017–18: £1,629.50Breckland, 2018–19: £1,725.88Breckland, 2019–20: £1,798.16Breckland, 2020–21: £1,871.80Breckland, 2021–22: £1,948.60Breckland, 2022–23: £2,010.63Breckland, 2023–24: £2,114.41Breckland, 2024–25: £2,219.32Breckland, 2025–26: £2,328.59Breckland, 2026–27: £2,443.67Breckland £2,444England £2,392

Breckland’s Band D bill has risen 57% in ten years, from £1,558.80 in 2016–17, in line with England’s average (56%). It was £502.88 in 1993–94.

Your bill by band

Band A 6/9£1,586
Band B 7/9£1,850
Band C 8/9£2,114
Band D 9/9£2,378
Band E 11/9£2,907
Band F 13/9£3,436
Band G 15/9£3,964
Band H 18/9£4,757

A Band D home in Hockham, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.

Norfolk’s councils

Great Yarmouth£2,414
King's Lynn and West Norfolk£2,430
Broadland£2,438
Breckland£2,444
North Norfolk£2,460
South Norfolk£2,483
Norwich£2,503

Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.

Council budgets per resident, 2026–27

ServiceBreckland + Norfolkvs England
Adult social care£504+£17
Children’s social care£259−£31
Roads and transport£54+£13
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£31−£30
Bins, street cleaning, environment£125+£6
Libraries, leisure, culture£46+£2
Planning and development£38+£12
Public health£60−£18
Running the council£66+£7
Other£49+£30
Great Hockham’s councils, per residentEngland, all councils
Show as a table, with Norfolk
Breckland + NorfolkGreat Hockham’s councilsNorfolkEngland
Adult social care£504£505£487
Children’s social care£259£259£290
Roads and transport£54£40£41
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£31£37£61
Bins, street cleaning, environment£125£125£119
Libraries, leisure, culture£46£43£44
Planning and development£38£41£26
Public health£60£60£78
Running the council£66£69£59
Other£49£39£19
Total, schools apart£1,282£1,268£1,234

Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Breckland per its residents plus Norfolk per the county’s. Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Norfolk and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.

Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.

Get involved

Having a say in how Great Hockham is run

Register to vote

It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.

gov.uk ↗
Contact your councillors or MP

Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.

WriteToThem ↗
Report a pothole or a broken streetlight

GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.

gov.uk ↗
Watch or speak at a council meeting

Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.

breckland.gov.uk ↗
Comment on a planning application

Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.

breckland.gov.uk ↗
Stand for election

The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.

Electoral Commission ↗

Questions about how Great Hockham is run

Which council runs Great Hockham?

Great Hockham is run by Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.

Does Great Hockham have a town council?

Yes: Great Hockham has its own parish-tier council (Hockham parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £65 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.

Who is the MP for Great Hockham?

George Freeman (Conservative) is the MP for Mid Norfolk, which covers Great Hockham.

How many councillors does Great Hockham have?

2 ward councillors represent Great Hockham’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.

When are the next elections in Great Hockham?

No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Great Hockham’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.

How much is council tax in Great Hockham?

Band D council tax in Great Hockham is £2,378 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).

Who controls Breckland Council?

The Conservatives have a majority: 31 of 49 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.

Who won the 2023 council election in Great Hockham?

In Great Hockham’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 2 of the 2 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 48.5%.

Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.