It was once led by the lord of the land.
But Castle Rising's parish council has said it has run out of money just weeks after Baron Howard of Rising was forced out of the post by newcomers who opposed his leadership.
Lord Greville Howard had been chairman for 35 years until he quit last month, claiming the council had "gone in a direction that wasn't right for the village."
The grandee, who once served as an aide to Enoch Powell, found his position on the council embattled since May's election, which changed the make-up of the authority.
READ MORE: Norfolk aristocrat quits Castle Rising parish council
A row over proposals to introduce a 30mph speed limit in the rural hamlet was a focal point of the dispute while other key policy battles included his resistance to raise the council's taxes (precept) and introducing a code of conduct for the members.
However, in the weeks since losing its leader, it has become apparent that the council is in financial dire straits.
EMPTY POCKETS
At a recent meeting, it was revealed that they were unable to pay a £697.56 bill from West Norfolk Council - an invoice for the costs of the May 2023 local elections.
It has since asked to defer the payment.
READ MORE: Norfolk aristocrat 'illegally' erected 30mph signs for speed limit he later opposed
The authority has also been left without any funds to pay for a parish council clerk and the post is currently vacant after the current volunteer employee resigned shortly after the Tory peer left his post.
The remaining five members have agreed to take on the clerk's duties in the meantime.
VILLAGERS TO THE POLLS
Following the dramatic upheaval at the council, an election has now been called for the new year.
Voters can go to the polls on January 18 to elect new members, who will have a difficult time ahead, with little money in the bank.
Parishioners are expected to face a bigger bill for the council's costs, which are expected to rise to £50 per household. It is hoped this increase may help plug the funding gap.
The authority may also see its income boosted if some of the planned 650 homes being built in nearby Knights Hill fall within its parish boundary.
Locals living in Castle Rising - named after the prominent Norman fortress in the village that was built by Lord Howard's ancestors - have been split since the dispute, with some sympathetic to his plight.
Others have been eager to keep their opinions to themselves.
Anyone wishing to vote has until midnight on January 2 to register, if they have not already.
LORD OF THE MANOR
Born into nobility at the height of the Second World War on April 22, 1941, Lord Greville Howard comes from a long line of aristocrats.
He is a descendant of William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel, who built the castle itself in the 12th century.
The Howard family has played a prominent role throughout British history and during the reign of Richard III, John Howard was named as the first Duke of Norfolk.
He was later slain along with the king at the Battle of Bosworth, which ended the War of the Roses.
The Howards continued to have close ties with royalty: both Henry VIII's beheaded wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, were members of the family.
Howards also fought in major battles, including one who served as an admiral in the English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada.
The current Lord Howard also forged a strong relationship with the royal family and was lifelong friends with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
After studying at Eton College, Lord Howard entered the world of politics and between 1968 and 1970, he was private secretary to Enoch Powell - a senior Tory who was accused of stoking up tensions over immigration with his 'Rivers of Blood' speech.
Lord Howard continued to serve in various ministerial positions in the Conservative Party and he was made a life peer in 2004.
As well as serving as a member of the House of Lords, he continued to be involved in politics at a local level, serving as a West Norfolk councillor between 2015 and May 2023, as well as being a parish councillor for Castle Rising for 35 years.
He has also remained involved in Westminster politics and his London townhouse was the base for last year's campaign to install Liz Truss as prime minister.
It was previously used as campaign headquarters by Boris Johnson in 2019 and Michael Portillo in 1995.
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