District council leaders have said they must be included in discussions to secure a new devolution deal for Norfolk - potentially including Suffolk.
With the Labour government pulling the plug on a £600m deal for Norfolk, Sue Holland, Broadland District Council leader, said she is open to a cross-border deal and a mayor for the two counties.
That is in stark contrast to some other politicians, who warned Norfolk "shouldn't get into bed with Suffolk".
Liberal Democrat Mrs Holland said: "I am open to discussions with everybody. If the government is saying the deal needs to be on a wider geography, why wouldn't we want to be with Suffolk?
"We have the same structures and needs. We can see what the government is saying and it's clearly not going to happen with Cambridgeshire or Lincolnshire.
"We don't know yet what the government are going to offer, but what we are saying is 'please talk to us'."
The previous deal, agreed in principle by Conservative leaders at the county council, included a directly-elected County Hall leader.
Unlike many other areas, that did not include a combined authority - made up of representatives from various councils - or a separate mayor.
And the new Labour government, in scrapping that deal, made clear it wanted a mayor distinct from the county council.
The deal would have included an investment fund of £20m a year for 30 years, control of the £12m adult education budget and £7m to kickstart housing.
The idea of a joint Norfolk/Suffolk deal has not been well received by some councillors, with a similar proposal having collapsed in 2016.
Norfolk County Council leader Kay Mason Billig will meet local government minister Jim McMahon next month to try to "salvage" the deal.
But Mrs Holland said districts had also written to the government to push for them to be involved in forging a "more ambitious" deal.
She said: "It would be very foolish to turn down an opportunity and I'd like to be there putting the case for Broadland."
Mike Stonard, leader of Labour-run Norwich City Council, said: "All councils, both district and county, must be part of any new deal and part of the decision-making process."
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