North Yorkshire County Council have appointed a new executive, as they prepare for the biggest overhaul to the local government in half a century.
The leader of the council has promised that the wishes of the public will be at the centre of an overhaul that will see changes to how crucial services are governed, with senior councillors being appointed to help oversee the transition to a new authority.
Councillor Carl Les, who has been appointed the new leader of the county council, has emphasised that the change will be heavily scrutinised, however the wishes of the county’s residents will be important in shaping the new unitary authority next year.
Cllr Les said:
“The appointment of the executive is always a particularly important issue, but it is even more amplified this time around.
The new members will be making fundamental decisions in helping shape the new authority before it launches next year, and we are committed to ensuring the views of all councillors and ultimately the public of North Yorkshire are taken on board.
Every decision will be taken carefully and with the necessary due diligence to ensure that the new council is safe and legal from day one.”
This move will be the biggest overhaul to local authority in the county since 1974, as the new authority will see the county council merged with the seven existing councils. The entire county council met on Wednesday to confirm the new leader and the new members of the executive on the authority. They will be crucial to push the re-organisation of local government in North Yorkshire as the county prepares to switch to the new North Yorkshire Council at the start of April 2023.
