Town Hall
Morrowfen has, in formal terms, two overlapping bodies and several officers. What follows is the public record of the town’s civic structure, with current occupants where known.
The Parish Council
The Morrowfen Parish Council is the elected body for the parish. It has nine members, elected for four-year terms. It meets on the second Tuesday of the month in the Reading Room annexe, beginning at 19:00. The public gallery is open from the same hour.
The Council’s powers, as set out in the parish governance documents, include minor highways, allotments, the war memorial, parish commons, footpaths, the cemetery, and (since 2019) a non-binding view on drainage matters.
Current members (2026)
- Margaret Drury
- Mayor · elected 2022, re-elected 2024
- (Vacancy)
- Deputy Mayor · to be filled at the October meeting
- Seven others
- full list on the Reading Room annexe door
The Drainage Committee
The Morrowfen Drainage Committee is the more powerful of the two bodies, and the older. It has five members, appointed for renewable five-year terms. It maintains the drains, the pumping station, and the sluice. It is nominally answerable to the Council, and in practice answers to no-one.
The Committee meets on the first Saturday of the month at the Pumping Station, beginning at 10:00. Public observers are permitted.
Current members (2026)
- Della Finch
- Chair · on the Committee since 2019, Chair since 2022
- (Three others)
- full list at the Pumping Station
- Verity Plowman
- Clerk to the Committee
The Mayor
The Mayor is a ceremonial post, elected annually by the Council from among its own members. The Mayor wears a small heron badge, attends events, and has limited executive power. The current Mayor is Margaret Drury.
On the Mayor’s letter
The Mayor writes, by long custom, an annual letter to the Drainage Committee Chair, on the subject of the sluice. The contents have not changed materially since 1948. The letter is read aloud at the December meeting.
The Parish Clerk
The Parish Clerk is the Council’s only paid officer. The Clerk keeps the minutes, manages the records, and runs the Council office in the Reading Room annexe. The Clerk is also Clerk to the Drainage Committee. The current Parish Clerk is Verity Plowman.
The Town Crier
The Town Crier is a paid part-time post, established 1951. The Crier walks the parish boundary each quarter, stops at the four boundary stones to proclaim the date and the Council, and proclaims at civic events. The current Town Crier is Owen Pell.
Other bodies
Morrowfen is, for statutory purposes, part of the Aingersby Borough Council area, which handles bins, planning, and council tax; and of the Norfolk-Cam county council, which handles the rest. Neither body is on speaking terms with the Drainage Committee, a situation that has prevailed, by the Gazette’s count, since at least 1981.
Current matters
- The census. The Council’s 2024 figure is 712. The Drainage Committee’s 2025 figure is 743. The Parish Clerk declines to give a figure. The matter is under discussion. See the Gazette report.
- The war memorial. The Mayor favours restoration. The Council is considering options.
- The Post Office. June Harkness’s project to reopen the building as a museum is, on the Council’s part, under consideration.
- The sluice. Della Finch’s modernisation proposal is being costed.
Council minutes are published at the Reading Room annexe door, on the Friday after each meeting.