North Yorkshire Council: here's when residents can vote for 90 councillors to serve new authority

The announcement follows confirmation that the legal process necessary to support the formation of a single council - which is going to be named North Yorkshire Council - to replace the eight current authorities providing public services is under way.

A draft Structural Changes Order is now before Parliament and paves the way for elections on May 5 this year.

Cllr Carl Les is the leader of North Yorkshire County Council and chair of the senior councillor group, which includes all eight councils, overseeing the planning for the new ‘unitary’ authority.

He said: “This is an exciting moment for North Yorkshire and one which I hope people will look back on in the future as a game-changer for the county’s economic fortunes.

"The new single council will give our county a much stronger voice regionally and nationally and allows us to bring together the very best of all eight councils to build the best possible new one.

“These are very important elections, because the councillors voted in this May will serve the final year of the county council and then they will be the voice of the people for the first four

years of the new single council.

“This continuity is important and means that decisions on what public services will look like in the future and matters like council tax can start being made ahead of North Yorkshire Council’s first day on April 1, 2023.

"They will make decisions on services that affect you, your families and communities, so make sure you have a vote.

"If you are 18 or over and are not registered to vote I would appeal to you to register now.”

Existing district and borough councillors will remain in place until April 2023.

At that point, those positions will cease to exist.

Chief Executive of North Yorkshire County Council and chair of the officer team leading the planning for the new council, Richard Flinton, described it as “an historic moment" for North

Yorkshire.

“The new council will ensure crucial public services are fit for the future at a time when there are real pressures on budgets for a number of key areas, including adult social care and

services for children with additional needs," he said.

"This is a large-scale change programme, but all eight councils are already working effectively together to build a single organisation, and a single team, committed to delivering the very best for residents, businesses and communities here.”

Detailed planning to make sure the new council can safely function from day one has been progressing since the Government announced its decision to end the two-tier system of county and district or borough councils in North Yorkshire last year.

Cllr Les added: “This is a landmark moment for the whole county and our workforce should feel immensely proud of their ability to carry on delivering day-to-day services, while supporting a complex change programme.

"It is absolutely right to acknowledge that and say thank you.”

Subject to MPs’ approval, the order is expected to be enacted in March.