46 North Yorkshire Borough Council
NORTH YORKSHIRE BOROUGH COUNCIL
On 1 April 2023 a new unitary council was launched for North Yorkshire .
The new council replaces the seven former district and borough councils Craven District Council ; Hambleton District Council ; Harrogate Borough Council ; Richmondshire District Council ; Ryedale District Council ; Scarborough Borough Council ; and Selby District Council .
The plans for the merger were agreed back in 2021 , replacing the two-tier system of county and district councils , excluding City of York , which has been in place since 1974 .
North Yorkshire Council will deliver services to 618,000 people and it ’ s envisaged that between £ 30m and £ 70m worth of saving could be achieved through the new council ’ s first few years in operation as services are combined and spending power leveraged .
It ’ s been estimated a shortfall of more than £ 30 million exists in the new council ’ s revenue budget for the next financial year , all of which will have to be covered by the one-off use of reserves after some additional savings have also been introduced .
The new council consists of 90 councillors , covering 89 new wards , who were elected in 2022 , meaning they will serve a four-year term on the new authority .
The new council will retain a main office in each former district area , supported by additional customer access points in the places people go , such as libraries .
Staff will continue to live and work in the communities they serve , listening to the needs of individual places and supporting local priorities and action .
Access to support and services will be easier , via one telephone number , one website , one customer service team and one set of face-to-face customer access points spread across the whole county .
Cllr Les , who will assume the leadership of the new council , said : “ The launch of the new North Yorkshire Council represents a major milestone for the county , and will bring benefits for hundreds of thousands of people .
“ It is a watershed for North Yorkshire , bringing together vital public services in a way that will just make sense to people . Highways repairs and street cleaning , waste collection and disposal , economic regeneration , housing , planning and children ’ s and adult services – all these will be delivered with a shared countywide ambition and drive .