The leader of Norfolk County Council has responded to criticism from fellow Conservatives over the county's proposed £600m devolution deal, saying it can bring huge benefits.
Andrew Proctor hit back at concerns about the deal raised by fellow Tories, including Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman and South Norfolk Council leader John Fuller.
The government last week announced the proposed county deal, which would hand Norfolk extra money, including a £20m a year investment fund, and transfer Whitehall powers to a directly-elected leader at County Hall.
Mr Fuller has said it is a "poor deal" and should be rejected.
And Mr Freeman, having initially welcomed it as "an important first step towards Norfolk being able to take back control from London", subsequently said he was not convinced by the deal.
He said: "The governance looks unstable, the freedoms few and the financial gain small."
At a meeting of Norfolk County Council on Tuesday (December 13), Liberal Democrat group leader Brian Watkins asked Mr Proctor what he thought of those comments.
Mr Proctor replied: "I'll be quite frank, I think he [George Freeman] has given a very narrow perspective of what the deal is about."
The council leader said the 'in-principle' deal, which still needs to be approved by the council and Parliament, was a starting point and "there is the potential for doing a lot more, as has been shown with other deals in terms of devolution across the country.
He said his fellow leaders had a right to their opinion, but there was "some misinformation flying about around this in terms of who has been informed and who has not been informed."
Mr Proctor also responded to a call from Green group leader Ben Price for a referendum over whether Norfolk should accept the deal.
He said while there will be public consultation next year, a referendum was not part of the process which was being followed.
Labour group leader Steve Morphew said the deal was a "distraction" from tackling issues such as adult social care and the cost of living crisis. His group called for the discussion to be scrapped or put on ice.
If the deal is agreed, the first election for a directly-elected council leader, in addition to the 84 county councillors, would be in May 2024.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here