Since 1992 he has been the Director of the Centre for Legislative Studies. Since 1988, Norton has been responsible for the university's "Westminster-Hull Internship Programme" (WHIP), a placement scheme which pairs students with some of the UK's top politicians. Norton has been a member of the Hansard Society advisory council since 1997 and became Director of Studies in 2002. Norton is an editor for The Journal of Legislative Studies, most recently editing its 25th anniversary publication: "The Impact of Legislatures: A Quarter-Century of The Journal of Legislative Studies". He has also been the Chair of the Conservative Academic Group since 2000.