THE result of a poll to determine whether people want their leafy suburb to split from Middlesbrough and return to North Yorkshire has proved an overwhelming yes.

Residents of Nunthorpe took part in an informal referendum to decide whether they would like to move the village into Hambleton.

The parish council has already contacted Middlesbrough Council, Hambleton District Council and North Yorkshire County Council, asking each to sanction a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission to return Nunthorpe to the North Yorkshire County Council area.

Now the poll has shown that the total number of votes cast was 793, representing 19 per cent of those eligible to vote, of which 604 or 76 per cent were in favour, 149 or 18 per cent against and 49 or 6 per cent were undecided.

A Nunthorpe Parish Council spokeswoman said: “The referendum was held in order to determine the support of the Nunthorpe community for a possible future return to the county of North Yorkshire. Being an informal vote it has determined nothing more than that there is a cross section of consent for making such a move. It has also served as a very important fact finding exercise.

As a result of the votes cast, if a formal election were to be held by the Boundary Commission for England the level of support shown by the above statistics, 76 per cent in favour of a move, would overwhelmingly carry forward a return to the governance of North Yorkshire, under Hambleton District Council.

“Nunthorpe Parish Council will now consider all of the options for a possible future move and keep aware of any relevant changes in the protocols and legislative guidance of the Boundary Commission. The Parish Council would like to thank all of those who participated.”

Nunthorpe was removed from North Yorkshire with the creation of the county borough of Teesside in 1968. It then became part of the county of Cleveland in 1974 and, in 1996, became part of the unitary authority of Middlesbrough Council.