North Yorkshire Council

History

The non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire and its county council were formed in 1974 from the county borough of York, the majority of the administrative county of Yorkshire, North Riding, the northern part of Yorkshire, West Riding, and the northern and eastern fringes of Yorkshire, East Riding. The headquarters of the new council was County Hall in Northallerton, which had been the headquarters of the North Riding County Council.

The non-metropolitan county originally had eight districts: Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby, and York. In 1996 a larger York district was created, taking in parishes from the Harrogate, Ryedale and Selby districts, and was made a unitary authority area, removing it from the non-metropolitan county (the area administered by the county council).

A further process of reorganisation began in October 2020, when the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government invited the councils in the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire and the City of York Council to submit proposals for reorganisation into unitary areas. North Yorkshire County Council proposed a single unitary authority for the non-metropolitan county and no change to York. The other councils, with the exception of Hambleton and York, jointly proposed an eastern council, combining the areas of Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby and York; and a western council, combining Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate and Richmondshire. Following a public consultation, in July 2021 the Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, announced that the county council's proposal would be taken forward and the first elections for the new unitary authority would be held in May 2022.

The reorganisation was approved by parliament on 17 March 2022. It was effected by abolishing the seven districts and their councils and creating a new district with the same area and name as the non-metropolitan county. North Yorkshire County Council became a unitary authority, with the powers of both a non-metropolitan county and non-metropolitan district council. As part of the reforms, the county council was given the option to omit the word "county" from its name, which it took, becoming North Yorkshire Council.

A combined authority was established in 2024 by North Yorkshire Council and York City Council, called the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. It is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Governance

Since 2023 the council has provided both district-level and county-level services. Between 1974 and 2023 the council provided only county-level services. Legally, it is a county council with the powers of a district council. Most of the non-metropolitan county is covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government.

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since June 2023, being led by a Conservative minority administration with support from three of the independent councillors.

The first election to the county council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:

North Yorkshire County Council

North Yorkshire Council (unitary authority)

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1997 have been:

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to October 2025, the composition of the council was:

Of the independent councillors, three sit with the Conservatives as the "Conservatives and Independents" group, which forms the council's administration, nine sit as the "North Yorkshire Independents" group which also includes one of the Reform UK councillors, and the remaining four independents are unaffiliated to any group. The Liberal councillor sits in a group with the Liberal Democrats. The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the area has been divided into 90 electoral divisions, each electing one councillor. An election on the new boundaries was held in 2022, prior to the change to being a unitary authority. The next election is due in 2027, after which elections will be held every four years.

Premises

The council is based at County Hall on Racecourse Lane, Northallerton (the building is just outside Northallerton's parish boundaries, being in the parish of Romanby). County Hall was completed in 1906 as the headquarters for the North Riding County Council. It is a Grade II* listed building. It transferred to the North Yorkshire County Council on local government reorganisation in 1974.

References

References

1. "Council minutes, 21 May 2025".
2. (13 May 2010). "Richard Flinton is new chief executive at North Yorkshire County Council". York Press.
3. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
4. (27 May 2014). "Spinning Yarm: The referendum hoping to bring this picturesque". The Independent.
5. (2010). "Northallerton through time". Amberley.
6. Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. (22 July 2021). "Consultation response summary: local government reorganisation".
7. {{cite legislation UK. (1995)
8. Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. (21 July 2021). "Next steps for new unitary councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset".
9. House of Commons. (21 July 2021). "Local Government Update Written Statement".
10. {{cite legislation UK. (2022)
11. {{cite legislation UK. (2023)
12. (1 August 2022). "York and North Yorkshire devolution deal". [[Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities]].
13. {{cite legislation UK. (2022)
14. Plummer, John. (12 June 2023). "Conservatives lose majority on North Yorkshire Council".
15. (13 June 2023). "North Yorkshire: Conservatives lose majority after councillor quits". BBC News.
16. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
17. (5 June 2009). "North Yorkshire". BBC.
18. (22 May 1997). "Tories warn on theatre grant". Scarborough Evening News.
19. "Council agenda, 20 June 2001". North Yorkshire County Council.
20. (21 June 2001). "New leader takes over reins". York Press.
21. (11 May 2015). "North Yorkshire Council leader quits after 14 years". BBC News.
22. "Council minutes, 20 May 2015". North Yorkshire County Council.
23. (30 December 2023). "OBE for North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les". Richmondshire Today.
24. (20 June 2025). "Reform candidate Tom Seston wins North Yorkshire seat". Gazette and Herald.
25. "North Yorkshire". Thorncliffe.
26. "Your councillors by political group".
27. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
28. {{NHLE