About Parish Councils
A parish council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. It is the level of local government closest to the community, with the district authority (North Norfolk District Council) and the county authority (Norfolk County Council) above it in the hierarchy.
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Parish councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community. Probably the most common topics that parish councils get involved with are planning matters (they are statutory consultees), crime prevention and roads & highways.
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Parish councils have limited powers to make decisions but they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions (such as the district or county council, health authorities, police etc.). In this respect parish councils are extremely powerful. The organisations that make the final decisions know that a parish council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something and its views will be taken seriously.