What is happening and when?
Following the government consultation on reorganisation it was announced in July 2021 that the current county, district and borough councils would be replaced by a new single council for North Yorkshire in April 2023 with City of York Council remaining as it is.
The proposal approved by the government (pdf / 14 MB) sets out that the new council would:
- be a strong voice in the North, speaking out nationally for rural and coastal communities
- bring together the best services for residents and businesses, make them even better and save money by reducing duplication
- keep the county and nationally acclaimed services together
- unite North Yorkshire to operate at scale and sustainably, driving recovery from the pandemic
- create a revolution in localism so communities have the funding and power to take action on what matters to them most in their area
- build on the strong identity and global brand of North Yorkshire and what makes our county so great
Removing the two-tier system of local government – county and district councils – was also a condition of unlocking a devolution deal. This will see funding and greater decision-making powers over local matters passed from central government to York and North Yorkshire as part of a mayoral-led combined authority.