City of York Council#History

York was an ancient borough, which held city status from time immemorial. In 1396 the city was given the right to appoint its own sheriffs, making it a county corporate, outside the jurisdiction of the Sheriff of Yorkshire.{{cite book |title=A History of the County of York |date=1961 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=69–75 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/city-of-york/pp69-75 |access-date=18 February 2024}} In 1449 an adjoining rural area called the Ainsty, covering several villages to the south-west of York, was brought under the city's authority.{{cite book |title=A History of the County of York |date=1961 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=75–79 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/city-of-york/pp75-79 |access-date=18 February 2024}}

By the nineteenth century the city corporation's powers were deemed inadequate to deal with the challenges of providing and maintaining the infrastructure of the city. A separate body of improvement commissioners was established in 1825 to pave, light and repair the streets, provide a watch, and supply water.{{cite web |title=York Improvement Act 1825 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo4/6/127/contents/enacted |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=18 February 2024}}{{cite web |title=York City (Improvement) Commissioners |url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/09e797bb-29a8-339a-ab30-b78a81ea9c6d |website=JISC Archives Hub |access-date=18 February 2024}}

York was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how many boroughs operated across the country. The city was then governed by a body formally called the "lord mayor, aldermen and citizens of the city of York", generally known as the corporation or city council.{{cite book |title=Municipal Corporations Act |date=1835 |page=461 |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesunitedk35britgoog/page/460/mode/2up |access-date=18 February 2024}} Shortly afterwards the question arose as to whether the reformed corporation's area still included the Ainsty. This was resolved later in 1836 when the Municipal Corporation (Boundaries) Act 1836 confirmed that the municipal boundaries only covered the city proper, and the Ainsty was transferred to the West Riding.{{cite book |last1=Pratt |first1=John Tidd |title=A collection of the public general statutes passed in the last session (6 & 7 W IV) |date=1836 |page=191 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t6zw1k536&view=1up&seq=219 |access-date=18 February 2024 |chapter=An Act to make temporary provision for the boundaries of certain boroughs (6 & 7 Will 4 c 103)}}

The improvement commissioners continued to exist alongside the reformed corporation until 1850, when the city was also made a local board district with the city council acting as the local board, thereby taking over the responsibilities of the abolished commissioners.{{cite book |last1=Lawes |first1=Edward |title=The Act for promoting the Public Health, with notes, an analytic index, and the Nuisances Removals and Diseases Prevention Act 1848, some additional forms and a table of rates, etc. |date=1851 |pages=270–271 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MRJXAAAAcAAJ&pg=270 |access-date=18 February 2024}}

The city's municipal boundaries were enlarged on a number of occasions, notably in 1884 when it gained areas including Clifton and Heworth, and in 1937 when it gained areas including Acomb, Dringhouses and Middlethorpe. There were more modest adjustments to the boundaries in 1934, 1957 and 1968.{{cite book |title=A History of the County of York |date=1961 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=311–321 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/city-of-york/pp311-321 |access-date=18 February 2024}}{{cite web |title=York Municipal Borough / County Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10095920 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=18 February 2024}}

When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, York was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services and so it was made a county borough, independent from the three county councils established for the surrounding East Riding, North Riding and West Riding.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1888|year=1888|chapter=41|access-date=18 February 2024}} For lieutenancy purposes York was deemed part of the West Riding.{{cite book |title=Militia Act |date=1882 |page=21 |publisher=Sweet & Maxwell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N4pCAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA21 |access-date=18 February 2024}}

York was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. As part of those reforms, the city was placed in the new non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, with the city council ceding county-level functions to the new North Yorkshire County Council. The city retained the same boundaries at the time of the 1974 reforms.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=18 February 2024}}

In 1996, following a review under the Local Government Act 1992, the district was replaced by a unitary authority with significantly larger boundaries, gaining a number of civil parishes from the neighbouring districts of Harrogate, Ryedale and Selby. Some of these parishes were already effectively suburbs, having been absorbed into the city's urban area since the boundaries had last been reviewed in 1968; others formed part of the rural hinterland around the city. The reforms included the creation of a new non-metropolitan county of York covering the same area as the enlarged district, but with no separate county council; instead the district (city) council took on county functions, making it a unitary authority.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The North Yorkshire (District of York) (Structural and Boundary Changes) Order 1995|year=1995|number=610|access-date=18 February 2024}} The city remains part of the wider ceremonial county of North Yorkshire for the purposes of lieutenancy.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Lieutenancies Act 1997|chapter=23|access-date=18 February 2024}}

Local government across North Yorkshire was reviewed again in 2023, when North Yorkshire County Council also became a unitary authority, and rebranded itself as North Yorkshire Council. As part of the process leading up to those reforms various alternatives were considered, some of which would have divided North Yorkshire into smaller unitary authorities which could have included York, but these alternatives were ultimately rejected.{{cite web|last=Peters|first=Dan|date=9 October 2020|title=Three areas invited to submit unitary proposals|url=https://www.localgov.co.uk/Three-areas-invited-to-submit-unitary-proposals/51213|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015024708/https://www.localgov.co.uk/Three-areas-invited-to-submit-unitary-proposals/51213 |archive-date=15 October 2020 |access-date=12 January 2021|website=LocalGov.co.uk}}{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/925741/Invitation_North_Yorskhire.pdf|title=Invitation for proposals for a single tier of local government|date=9 October 2020|accessdate=21 December 2021}}{{cite web|last=|first=|date=10 December 2020|title=East & West full proposal goes to government|url=https://www.get-change-right.com/post/council-leads-submit-east-west-to-government|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115072110/https://www.get-change-right.com/post/council-leads-submit-east-west-to-government |archive-date=15 January 2021 |access-date=12 January 2021|website=Get change right|publisher=Ryedale District Council}}{{cite web|date=21 July 2021|title=Next steps for new unitary councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-new-unitary-councils-in-cumbria-north-yorkshire-and-somerset|url-status=live|access-date=21 July 2021|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721181652/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-new-unitary-councils-in-cumbria-north-yorkshire-and-somerset |archive-date=21 July 2021 }}

Instead, a combined authority was established in 2024 covering York and North Yorkshire, called the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. It is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.{{cite web|url=https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/sites/default/files/fileroot/About%20the%20council/Strongertogether/82237%20North%20Yorkshire%20Council%20A4%20GOV%20-%20Accessible.pdf|title=A unitary council for North Yorkshire. The case for change|page=12|publisher=North Yorkshire County Council|accessdate=26 December 2021|archive-date=25 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225202746/https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/sites/default/files/fileroot/About%20the%20council/Strongertogether/82237%20North%20Yorkshire%20Council%20A4%20GOV%20-%20Accessible.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Order 2023|year=2023|number=1432|access-date=18 February 2024}}

City of York Council provides both county-level and district-level services. Parts of the city are included in civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government for their areas. The central part of the modern city, corresponding to the former city boundaries as existed between 1968 and 1996, is an unparished area.{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=18 February 2024}}{{cite web |title=Yorkshire West Riding (North part): Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1968 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/241245166 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=18 February 2024}}

Following the 2023 election the Labour Party emerged with a majority. The leader is Claire Douglas, the first female council leader in the city's history.{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Stephen |title=Labour take control of City of York Council |url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23504157.labour-take-control-city-york-council/ |access-date=18 February 2024 |work=York Press |date=5 May 2023}}

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:{{cite web |title=Compositions calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/?page_id=3825 |website=The Elections Centre | date=4 March 2016 |access-date=10 August 2022}}{{Cite news|date=2019-04-30|title=Local elections 2019: What happens when councils change hands?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-48092241|access-date=2022-02-01}}{{cite web| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/councils/html/ff.stm | title = English local elections 2007 : York | access-date = 23 September 2009 | publisher = BBC News Online}}

Non-metropolitan district

Unitary authority

{{see also|List of lord mayors of York}}

The role of Lord Mayor of York is largely ceremonial, and tends to be held by a different person each year. Political leadership is provided instead by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1984 have been:{{cite web |title=Council minutes |url=https://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieDocHome.aspx?bcr=1 |website=City of York Council |access-date=20 June 2022}}

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2023/may/04/elections-2023-results-live-local-council-england#le-full-results|title=Local elections 2023: live council results for England|work=The Guardian|date=9 May 2023 |last1=Voce |first1=Antonio |last2=Leach |first2=Anna |last3=Hoog |first3=Niels de |last4=Torpey |first4=Paul |last5=Clarke |first5=Seán }}

The next election is due in 2027.

{{also|City of York Council elections}}

Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 47 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The York (Electoral Changes) Order 2014|year=2014|number=3289|access-date=18 February 2024}}

File:Site of the original railway station (geograph 7278925).jpg

The council is based at West Offices on Station Rise, which is the converted and extended original York railway station of 1841.{{NHLE|num=1256403|desc=Old station and former station hotel|grade=II*|access-date=17 February 2024}} The council moved into the newly-extended building in 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.york.gov.uk/events/event/240/west_offices_official_opening_ceremony |title=West Offices Official Opening Ceremony |publisher=City of York Council |access-date=10 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111012542/http://www.york.gov.uk/events/event/240/west_offices_official_opening_ceremony |archive-date=11 November 2013 }}

File:Guildhall, York.jpg

Prior to 2013 the council was based at York Guildhall on the banks of the River Ouse, the oldest parts of which date back to the fifteenth century.{{NHLE|desc=Guildhall and Chamber Range, Atkinson block, Common Hall Lane and boundary wall containing entrance to lane|num=1257929|access-date=31 August 2019}} Full council meetings are still occasionally held in the council chamber at the Guildhall, which is now occupied by the University of York.{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/20144570.york-council-hands-keys-21m-guildhall-renovation/|title=York council hands over keys after £21m Guildhall renovation|date=17 May 2022|newspaper=York Press|access-date=3 January 2023}}

In October 2020 the council provided older people in the city with smart watches, which monitor a range of indicators including body temperature, heart rate, sleep patterns and step count. They are supported by sensors in their homes that can capture temperature and humidity, movement, how often doors open and close and power consumption. The service is provided by Sensing247 and North SP Group Limited and is intended to help people stay independent.{{cite news |title=Smart watches trialed in York to help older people stay safe at home |url=https://www.homecareinsight.co.uk/smart-watches-trialed-in-york-to-help-older-people-stay-safe-at-home/ |access-date=16 November 2020 |publisher=Homecare Insight |date=5 October 2020}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.york.gov.uk/ City of York Council official website]

{{Unitary authorities of England}}

{{Local authorities in North Yorkshire}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:Unitary authority councils of England

Category:Local authorities in North Yorkshire

Category:Local education authorities in England

Category:Billing authorities in England

Category:Leader and cabinet executives

Council