Brown Edge Parish Council is in fact Norton Parish Council! I know it sounds strange but until the local government boundary changes in 1965 Norton Parish Council was part of Leek Rural. This process of enlargement of Stoke on Trent had started earlier with the transfer of Smallthorne to Stoke.
The Norton Parish Council consisted of members from Baddeley Green, Bemmersley, Brown Edge as well as Norton itself. After the Boundary changes the old Norton Parish Council met and members which for the first time consisted entirely of Brown Edge men on 6th April 1965. in the “Tab” St Anne’s Vale.
Chairman Colin Simcock
Vice Chairman George Bond
W. Basnett
R.H. Cumberlidge
P. Durber
H Hammond
J. Heath
J. Rushton
? Sherratt
E. Slater
A. Turner
In December Councilor Sherratt died and Cllr Slater resigned they were replaced with K Basnett and Rev Richards.
In 1968 Norton Parish Council applied to change its name to Brown Edge Parish Council and this was approved one evening when I was in attendance, so probably in 1969.
They have met in various places over the years that I was present, including The Tab, Sandy Lane Chapel, The Church, The Village Hall and Church House. It did meet once in the Holly Bush Pub when no other rooms were available which is in fact not allowed.
I started to attend Parish Council Meetings in 1969, encouraged by my Uncle Alan and Bob Cumberlidge. I can remember these meetings as extremely smokey affairs and very formal compared to today’s meetings.
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