Norse Group

The Norse Group brings together building consultancy services provider Norse Consulting, care provider NorseCare and facilities management specialists Norse Commercial Services.

The Group’s commercial flair and public service ethos creates a powerful combination, improving services for our clients, saving costs and driving profits through economies of scale.

We work with clients across a range of sectors through partnerships, frameworks and specially tailored solutions. For local authorities, our innovative joint venture model continues to attract national interest and has been praised by chief executives, councillors, union officials, staff and the wider public.

As the largest commercial Local Authority Trading Company in the UK, the Group has a track record of delivering profitable and successful partnerships with councils nationally and because we are 100% owned by Norfolk County Council, councils know they are going into business with an organisation they can trust.

Our 30 year plus growth journey explained

Councils were compelled by the 1988 Local Government Act of 1988 to expose services such as grounds maintenance, refuse collection, cleaning and catering to Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT). Affected departments became Direct Service Organisations (DSOs) and tendered for work against external companies.

Norfolk County Services (the former version of Norse Commercial Services) was established as a DSO supplying services for Norfolk County Council such as cleaning, catering and grounds maintenance. DSOs could not be subsidised.

Five years later, Norfolk Property Services (NPS) was similarly formed, as CCT had been extended, focusing on property design and asset management.

In 1997, CCT was ended and a Best Value regime for councils introduced. NCS and NPS became free to trade elsewhere in England, leading to the national network of agreements which exist today.

By 2002, following the success of both NCS and NPS, a decision was made to operate both as independent private companies. Norfolk Property Services changed its name to NPS Property Consultants Ltd.

In 2006 Norfolk County Services and NPS were brought together as sister companies within the Norse Group. Norfolk County Services Ltd subsequently changed its name to Norse Commercial Services Ltd.

In 2010, NorseCare Ltd was created and, in 2011, NorseCare joined the Group.

In 2021, NPS Property Consultants Ltd became Norse Consulting.

Our purpose

Our purpose is simple; we believe we should improve people’s lives.

Our mission

Our mission is to afford an integrated approach to providing public sector services, generating sustainable long-term relationships and returns in a fair and ethical way for the benefit of our clients, employees and all our other stakeholders.

By doing this we seek to:

1. provide good quality, value for money services to our clients and the end consumer
2. generate an appropriate financial return for our shareholder and other public sector partners to allow them to reinvest for the benefit of their local communities
3. be recognised as a good employer.

Our values

Our culture is based on a set of four values – Quality, Innovation, Respect and Trust – and shape Group behaviours. They help us stand out from the crowd.

Our values are lived every day, used to help us work through any challenges we may face and help us recognise and celebrate our achievements. They guide us in helping to deliver prosperous partnerships nationwide and enhance the communities in which we work.