Local
Since 2023, North Yorkshire has comprised the unitary authority areas of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Redcar and Cleveland, York, and the part of Stockton-on-Tees that is south of the River Tees. Their councils are unitary authorities, meaning they combine the powers and responsibilities of a non-metropolitan county council and a non-metropolitan district council.
A summary of the councils is as follows:
The City of York Council is based within the city, having its council chamber at the Guildhall and its main office at York old railway station. It has 47 councillors and, following the 2023 City of York Council election, has a Labour majority administration.
Middlesbrough Council is based at Middlesbrough Town Hall. It has 47 councillors and, following the 2023 Middlesbrough Council election, has a majority Labour administration.
North Yorkshire Council is based at County Hall, Northallerton. It has 90 councillors, and since 2023 has had a minority Conservative administration.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has 59 councillors and, following the 2023 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council election, has a minority Labour administration.
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has its chamber at Stockton-on-Tees Town Hall and offices at Dunedin House in Thornaby-on-Tees. It has 56 councillors and, following the 2023 Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council election, has a minority Labour administration.
The ceremonial county itself has only a minor administrative function, being the area to which the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire is appointed; the shrieval county has the same boundaries and is the area to which the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire is appointed.
The Local Government Act 1888 reformed English local government by creating administrative counties, county boroughs, and elected county councils and county borough councils to govern them. County boroughs largely consisted of those settlements with a population over 50,000, and administrative counties covered smaller towns and rural areas. The three ridings of Yorkshire were reconstituted as the administrative counties of County of York, East Riding, County of York, North Riding, and County of York, West Riding. Within what would later become North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough and York were made county boroughs. In 1967, the county borough of Middlesbrough was abolished and replaced with the larger county borough of Teesside, which included Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, and other surrounding areas.
The Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect in 1974, reformed English local government again. It introduced metropolitan counties, which covered the largest urban areas, and non-metropolitan counties elsewhere. Both types of county were divided into districts, with local government functions divided between a county council and district councils. The non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire was created from the majority of the North Riding, the northern part of the West Riding, the county borough of York, and parts of the northern and eastern edges of the East Riding including Filey and Norton-on-Derwent. The area in the north-east around the lower reaches of the River Tees, including Middlesbrough, became part of the new county of Cleveland. North Yorkshire was divided into eight districts: Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby, and York. The provision of local government services was divided between North Yorkshire County Council and the district councils of the eight non-metropolitan districts.
In 1996, Cleveland was abolished. Its districts became unitary authority areas, their councils having the powers of a non-metropolitan county council and non-metropolitan district council. Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and the part of Stockton-on-Tees south of the River Tees became part of North Yorkshire for ceremonial purposes. In the same year, the district of York was enlarged by taking in parishes from the Harrogate, Ryedale and Selby districts, and also became a unitary authority area.
In 2023, the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire became a unitary authority area. The remaining seven districts were abolished and the county council took on the responsibilities of the district councils, renaming itself North Yorkshire Council as part of the restructuring process.
