The future starts here
How the people you have elected will now begin to shape the county’s services
This election is so important for local “democracy in North Yorkshire, and the newly elected councillors will lay the foundations for the new council ahead of its launch in April next year ”
Cllr Carl Les, Leader of North Yorkshire County Council
Many of you voted in last week’s county council elections.
The 90 people you elected across North Yorkshire will serve you on North Yorkshire County Council until April 2023.
At that time, the county council will cease to exist, as will the seven district and borough councils that serve North Yorkshire. They will be replaced by a single North
Yorkshire Council providing all the services currently provided by your county and district council. This is the biggest shake-up in local government since 1974.
The councillors elected last week will serve on the new council for the first four years of its life. How will those councillors be preparing for the creation of the North Yorkshire Council and what does that mean for you?
North Yorkshire’s new councillors will press ahead with work that has already begun to ensure the continued quality of services you value, such as waste collection and recycling, highways and planning.
A meeting of the county council on Wednesday, May 18, will confirm the new members of the executive of the authority, who will be instrumental in driving forward the reorganisation of local government ahead of the launch of the new North Yorkshire Council next year.
Having one council means your services can be joined up and strengthened to improve the quality of life and opportunities for people across the county.
It will save money by reducing duplication, and this money can go back into frontline services and support local priorities and decision making.
The next step
These elections not only lay the foundations for the decision-makers for the new North Yorkshire Council, they also pave the way for a devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York.
The Government stipulated that a requirement for any devolution deal for North Yorkshire is for the two-tier system of local government, with the county council and seven district councils, to be replaced by a single unitary authority. City of York Council will continue as a unitary authority to run in tandem with the new North Yorkshire Council.
The deal to hand over decision-making powers and tens of millions of pounds in funding to political leaders in York and North Yorkshire is currently being negotiated with the Government. An announcement on an offer for devolution is expected this summer before public consultations later in the year.