The district also includes the towns of Fakenham, Holt, Sheringham, Stalham and Wells-next-the-Sea, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

[3] The commission chose the name Pastonacres, which had been coined by a member of Smallburgh Rural District Council in recognition of the extensive landholdings in the area of the Paston family in medieval times.

[24] The 2021 census results found that the local authority area had the highest proportions of population over 65 in the England and Wales, at 33.5%.

[26] Almost £389,000 was given to the council's "joint head of paid services", Nick Baker, in the form of an "exit package", reported Private Eye in October 2020.

This was £89,000 more than the council had spent purchasing dwellings to support homeless people in 2019/20, the Eastern Daily Press reported.

The Press also reported the total cost of so-called "golden goodbyes" for senior council staff had risen to £1.8 million.