Town and parish councils are the first level of local government. They provide communities with a democratic voice and a structure for taking community action.

Brinton Parish Council consists of seven parish councillors and decisions are made by the councillors voting at meetings, which are open to the public. The meeting agendas are published prior to the meetings, so that the public are able to comment on those items at a meeting during the “public participation” item.

Electors of the parishes of Brinton and Sharrington can contact their parish councillors on matters connected with their village, which can be raised by the parish councillor as an agenda item at a meeting.

Parish Councils have a wide range of powers under the law, such as providing and maintaining allotments, cemeteries, bus shelters, community buildings and recreation areas. Brinton Parish Council as a small council, has limited assets to maintain, such as the noticeboards, benches and village signs.  It currently contributes towards maintenance of the churchyards.

Recently Brinton Parish Council has taken part in the Conservation Area Appraisal and the Glaven Valley Conservation Area Appraisal, being successful in including areas of Brinton and Sharrington within those areas.  It has replaced and repaired the noticeboards in the villages, instigated highways repairs, repaired benches and is currently looking into conservation and repair of the Sharrington milestone.

Parish Councils also have a right to be notified of planning applications upon which they are invited to comment as a statutory consultee.

Further explanation on the role of Brinton Parish Council in North Norfolk District Council planning matters is explained below and can be accessed on the NNDC website under the link https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/media/9450/town-and-parish-council-guide-to-nndc-planning.pdf

Extract from “A Guide to Town & Country Planning for Town & Parish Councils”:

3) The role of Town & Parish Councils in the Planning Process

The role of the Town & Parish Council (T&PC) is to:

• Represent local views,
• Provide local knowledge,
• Raise areas of concern or provide support,
• Inform, debate, and add value to the process, and
• Contact and involve District Councillors (if required).

Town and Parish Councils are statutory consultees in the planning process and are informed of all planning applications, including any amendments to those applications, within their area. Each notice will be emailed to the Clerk as they are registered. At this point, most applications will be published on the Councils website via the Public Access Portal. The T&PC should comment on these planning applications in the same way as the general public, however, any comments by the PC should be agreed during a public council meeting. Members of the public attending a T&PC meeting can comment, speak in support of or object to any application during an ‘Open Forum’ part of the meeting. Comments agreed by the Council, in the council meeting, can then be submitted by the Clerk via the public access portal. The T&PCs are ‘a consultee’ and their response counts as a single opinion. The T&PCs can seek the views of residents of the Parish, particularly in controversial cases, and should reflect on local feeling during the deliberation process. It is suggested that, should there be widespread support or objection to an application, the T&PC can advise their parishioners to submit their own objection, or support, for a proposal through the planning access system or by contacting the Planning Department. It is important for T&PCs to understand that their responses should only be based on planning matters. A good place to start is The Local Plan such that they can comment on any aspects of the application they feel contravenes or supports current planning policy.

Objections should be clear, concise, relevant, and accurate. Whilst NNDC considers the representations of the T&PC, this does not mean that an application will be decided in accordance with the views of the T&PC. Planning Officers must consider all consultee responses and weigh up the impacts/benefits of proposals in reaching their recommendation/decision. Material considerations are a collection of important elements that a planning officer will take into consideration when deciding a planning application. T&PCs are encouraged to comment on whether they feel an application will have a positive or detrimental impact on these matters. Material Planning Considerations can include:

• Layout, density.
• Risk of flooding or pollution.
• Overlooking and loss of privacy.
• Overshadowing and loss light (daylight/sunlight).
• Access and traffic generation (highway safety). · Local economy. · Design, appearance and materials.
• Appearance, effects on street, specially designated area or building (e.g. conservation areas, listed buildings, ancient monuments, etc.).
• Adequacy of parking.
• Noise and smell.
• Landscape, contamination, loss of trees, etc.
• Cumulative impact.
• Past planning history or appeal decisions of the site.