THE campaign to see Norton have its own parish council gained momentum this week.

Nearly 100 people gathered at the village hall on Thursday last week to hear a progress report from the steering committee.

Committee chairman and Norton Green resident Mr Graham Mitchell chaired a lively debate into the future development of the parish council.

The committee was formed after a meeting in July to see whether local people were in favour of having a parish council. Its task was to look into how a parish council would work, what it would cost, and what area it could cover.

It had been decided that the parish council would include all three borough council wards of Blue Hall, Norton village and the Glebe, a total of more than 7,000 homes and 14,000 electors. Mr Mitchell said: "It will be a big parish council in comparison with others, but that is the size of the beast we are dealing with."

He outlined the powers a parish council could have and highlighted those with particular reference to Norton, such as maintenance of public clocks, greens, and ponds, and input into parking, litter and planning considerations. "What a parish council is not, is a magic solution to all our problems," said Mr Mitchell.

Committee member Mrs Joan Hodgson had been visiting other parish councils in the borough to see how they operated. She reported on how most did provide services extra to the borough council such as seating, tending to open spaces and flowerbeds, and litter. All liaised with the borough council on planning issues.

She said: "They were all agreed that the benefits to the community were greater than is generally believed, and they all think they give value for money. They said it was good to have a second tier of local government, especially now the council has adopted the cabinet system.

"Parish councils are closer to the people and give them more of a voice and input. People are invited to speak at parish council meetings to raise issues that are bothering them, and they then feel that their voices have been heard."

Discussion about how the council would be funded through the parish precept created uproar among some residents of Blue Hall and the Glebe. One said: "Surely lots can be done through residents' associations? Look at Gainford, near Darlington. The residents' association got a grant to make a millennium park. It can

be done without creating a

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