On 1 April, the county council and seven district and borough councils in North Yorkshire will become one – North Yorkshire Council.

North Yorkshire Council will be the geographically largest council in England. It is being built with local at its heart and aims to be the most local, large council in the country.

By making this change now, it gives North Yorkshire Council the best possible chance to protect valued services at a time of exceptional financial pressures and high demand. Joining up services will allow the council to maximise spending power, meaning there are potential savings of between £30 million and £70 million which will then become annual savings. This money can be used to protect some of the most important local services at a critical time when everyone and every organisation is feeling the pressure. It will also be in a stronger position to work with us and other partners to get the most from every North Yorkshire pound.

Staff who currently serve residents will continue to provide the services that they deliver now. There will be one phone number and one website, making sure access to support and services will be easier whilst ending the current confusion that exists over which council does what. A main office will be retained in each former district area and will be supported in time by a further 30 local customer access points in places people go. The new council is committed to working closely with partners and communities to ensure that local priorities drive decision-making and local action via community networks, which will be independently operated but able to influence strategic decision making that affects their communities.

Keeping you informed

We’ll keep you informed about what the changes mean to the voluntary and community sector in North Yorkshire by adding news, updates and information to this page as we get it.

You can also find out more by visiting www.northyorks.gov.uk/newcouncil