ON May 5 residents will be able to vote for who they want to represent them in the upcoming new single council in North Yorkshire – but what does it mean? And what will you be voting for?
As the North Yorkshire County Council May elections draw near, this explainer will be part of a series of special reports looking at the new single council being formed in North Yorkshire in April 2023.
On May 5 many will be voting in their local election across England with as many as 146 councils holding local elections, including Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and all 32 London boroughs.
What am I voting for in North Yorkshire?
In North Yorkshire, like many others, residents will be voting for who they would like to represent them among 90 councillors for the next 5 years.
However, it was announced in July last year (2021) that a new single council would be formed to deliver all services across North Yorkshire on the footprint of the current county council with 89new divisions.
The 90 councillors voted in this May will serve the final year of the county council and will then automatically continue to serve an additional four-year term as unitary councillors.
The newly elected councillors, according to North Yorkshire County Council, will “shape” what public services will look like ahead of the council’s first day on April 1, making decisions that affect everyone living and working in North Yorkshire.
What does the new single council mean for residents of North Yorkshire and surrounding areas?
Now that we know what people will be voting for in the upcoming May elections, it’s time to look at what it all means and how it might affect residents of North Yorkshire and those living in surrounding areas.
North Yorkshire County Council will merge with the seven District Councils on April 1 2023 to create a unitry authority, with its new name of North Yorkshire Council.
The aim of the new single council, according to North Yorkshire County Council, is to “bring together the best services for residents and businesses.”
It continues to argue that the new council will “unite North Yorkshire to operate at scale and sustainably, driving recovery from the pandemic.”
Currently, North Yorkshire is made up of a two-tier system of government between the seven district councils and county council, however this will be removed in the new form of local government.
We will explore what a two-tier system of local government is and what removing it will change in a future explainer piece.
Talks are currently under way as part of the unitary council and the hope is to see funding and “greater decision-making powers over local matters” passed from central government to North Yorkshire and York as part of a mayoral-led combined authority.
The new council hopes to streamline services residents receive such as, council tax and other charges as well as local offices for the council.
Why does the county council want to change to a single unitary council?
According to the Business Case Addresses presented by North Yorkshire County Council, the change is aimed at addressing a range of growing pressures in North Yorkshire.
The council stresses that coastal areas and market towns are at risk of being left behind due to a steady decline of the high street and increased gap in skills and employment.
Sparsely and super-sparsely populated rural communities are on average more expensive to deliver services to than urban areas.
It adds that North Yorkshire has an “ageing population” and “inequalities in health and social outcomes”
In addition, the Business Case argues that the two-tier model is “no longer fit for purpose” as it is too complicated, less effective than it could be, and ineffective and unsustainable.
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