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Norwich could be divided into parish councils for the first time as part of local government reforms. Mike Stonard, the leader of Norwich City Council, said their introduction was "definitely on the table" amid discussions about the future of governance in Norfolk. The county's eight councils all face abolition, with new authorities created to replace them, and leaders are already butting heads over how local politics should look.
The Norwich council area is currently the only one in the county not to include any parish councils. Norwich is the only part of Norfolk without parish councils (Image: Denise Bradley) City Hall is pushing for the creation of a new Greater Norwich Council as part of local government reorganisation, which would absorb city suburbs currently overseen by South Norfolk Council. Speaking at a recent meeting, Mr Stonard said: "There is absolutely no reason why unparished areas in the city council area could not be parished.
"That is something we can discuss and potentially introduce to ensure better local democracy and community engagement. "That is most definitely on the table." READ MORE: City parking charge increase coming into force in April Mike Stonard, leader of Norwich City Council (Image: Norwich City Council) Urban areas across England tend not to have parish councils, while most rural areas do.
These authorities manage local amenities such as village halls, footpaths, parks and cemeteries and are the first level of local government. The plans for local government reorganisation and the introduction of large unitary authorities have raised concerns about councils being distanced from the communities they represent. While parish councils will not be affected structurally by the changes, the creation of new parishes has been proposed as a solution to this issue.
Liam Calvert, a Green councillor, said: "Norwich is unlike the rest of the county and we don't have a great deal of low-level democracy. "The notion of community empowerment is very much lacking and we need to think very carefully about how we empower these areas if we are to expand.".
