Consultation launched on North Yorkshire’s council boundaries

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is looking for residents’ views on where they live.

The public body wants to ensure each councillor represents around the same number of people and their divisions reflect community identities.

Andrew Scallan, deputy chair of the commission said:  “By telling us about where you live and where you access local services, it will help us to create appropriate and meaningful boundaries.

“It might be something as straightforward as where you go for shops, schools or a sporting venue, whether you see a road, park or river as a dividing feature or the heart of a community, or which areas have joint projects. ”

When North Yorkshire Council was created in 2023 the commission decided there should be 90 councillors but it is now proposing to reduce this to 89.

Despite this, there have been concerns from some councillors about their workloads particularly when compared to wards on the former borough councils which were smaller.

North Yorkshire Council’s chief executive, Richard Flinton, said:   “It is vital that our residents take part in this consultation so that the new division boundaries reflect their views. When North Yorkshire Council was created last year, we set out to create the most “local” local authority and we are committed to making sure that every community is fairly represented and has a voice through their councillors.

“This electoral review provides a clear way forward to ensure that local democracy can work as efficiently as possible, while making sure the public’s voice is heard.”

The consultation lasts for ten weeks and closes on December 9.

You can take part in the consultation here – https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north-yorkshire

Or you can email reviews@lgbce.org.uk

There will be a further round of consultation once the commission has drawn up its proposals.

A second stage is expected to start on April 1 2025.