Parish Charter

How local city, town and parish councils and meetings work together with North Yorkshire Council for the benefit of local people in North Yorkshire.

The Parish Charter sets out how local city, town and parish councils and parish meetings and North Yorkshire Council aim to work together for the benefit of local people in North Yorkshire.

A representative group of parish councillors and clerks have worked together with officers from across North Yorkshire Council to establish a new way of working and to confirm existing good practice.

The Parish Charter has been adopted at the Executive meeting on 18 July 2023.

The charter lays out how North Yorkshire Council and the parish sector will work together in partnership to:

  • promote and protect social, economic and environmental well-being for the benefit of our local communities, to ensure vibrancy and future sustainability
  • strive to eliminate all forms of discrimination and promote equality of opportunity
  • promote an active democracy to ensure all members of every North Yorkshire community are able to have a say in our future and to help develop a shared vision, identity and sense of belonging
  • welcome all feedback and aim to act quickly and efficiently to address issues within their power
  • respect and promote the role of both elected and co-opted councillors as representatives of their communities through positive communication, leadership and engagement, all undertaken to high ethical standards
  • give importance and recognition to issues and ideas raised at each level of local government
  • ensure efficient, effective and value for money management, supported by adequate training

Development of the Parish Charter will be ongoing and implementation and monitoring of its effectiveness will be undertaken by the North Yorkshire Parish Charter Review Group and the document will be updated as required.

The Parish Charter

Foreword and welcome

Foreword: Representatives from Parish Councils involved in the co-production of the draft charter

The working group is pleased to support this Charter which seeks to set out the arrangements for partnership working between the new North Yorkshire Council and local City, Town and Parish Councils and Parish Meetings. Each is responsible for providing local services to the residents of North Yorkshire and we recognise that close working relationships between North Yorkshire Council and their senior officers can only lead to better delivery of these services for our residents.

The development of this Charter is just a starting point and further work will be undertaken as the new Council works to bring together the operations of the former county, district and borough councils.

Whilst it remains the right of each parish sector council or meeting to determine whether or not it wishes to support the principles identified within the Charter, the potential benefits to local communities should encourage all parishes and North Yorkshire Council to work collaboratively.

The group has been supported by the Yorkshire Local Councils Associations and a small team of officers from different teams and councils, now all North Yorkshire Council officers. The working group is made up of Parish Clerks, Chairs and Councillors nominated by Yorkshire Local Councils Associations branches in Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby, along with the Yorkshire Local Councils Associations Team Support and Member Liaison Officer and a representative from the Society of Local Council Clerks.

Foreword: Councillor Carl Les, Leader of North Yorkshire Council

Parish and Town Councils and Parish Meetings are an important part of local government and have a vital role in acting on behalf of the communities they represent. North Yorkshire Council is committed to working with Parish and Town Councils and Parish Meetings across the county to connect with local communities, understand their needs and respond to their priorities.

This Charter has been developed in partnership with representatives of Parish and Town Councils and Parish Meetings in North Yorkshire and sets out how we will work together for the benefit of our communities. There is much work still to do to bring together the operations of all the eight councils involved in Local Government Reorganisation in North Yorkshire and new working arrangements will develop over time. The Charter recognises this and commits North Yorkshire Council to developing and reviewing areas and working arrangements for inclusion in the Charter in more detail.

I am delighted to support this Charter and look forward to working closely with our Parish and Town Councils and Parish Meetings as leader of the new North Yorkshire Council.

1.0 Context - Local Government Reorganisation

1.1 The new unitary North Yorkshire Council was formed on 1 April 2023, following Local Government Reorganisation, which resulted in the abolition of North Yorkshire County Council and seven district and borough councils.

1.2 The new council has set out its aim to work in new ways, offering:

  • improved efficiency and effectiveness of local government services
  • reduced duplication, bringing together services and making savings
  • a local office in every district area
  • a range of local customer access points across North Yorkshire
  • a council of 90 councillors, representing 89 new divisions
  • six local area committees
  • new community partnerships to support the needs and aspirations of towns and surrounding areas
  • new ways of working with, and empowering the parish sector

1.3 In working to establish the new council, the importance of the parish sector and the need for effective partnership working to achieve its vision and aims as set out in its newly adopted Council Plan was recognised from the outset.

1.4 The development of a Parish Charter, to define the relationship between North Yorkshire Council and the parish sector and set out how the principal authority and parish authorities will work together in partnership, was seen as a priority in the work leading up to vesting day, 1 April 2023. It is recognised that there is still more work to do to bring together the operations of all the eight councils including an ongoing programme of transformation as the new council develops and transforms.

1.5 It has therefore been agreed that the development of this Charter should be a staged process, with ongoing consultation with the parish sector and learning from experiences. This will be supported by a regular review, monitoring and update process.

1.6 It is recognised that there are a number of key areas that North Yorkshire Council and the parish sector will wish to develop more detailed working relationships. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • community partnerships
  • community services – such as highways, street lighting, grass cutting, local assets
  • double devolution
  • financial arrangements
  • improving communication 
  • locally based services and assets
  • parish sector elections and polls
  • planning
  • refining the details of the parish charter review group
  • resilience planning and emergency response, for example, flooding
  • training and advice

1.7 It is also recognised that this document is very much a working document, therefore commencing within the first six months of its adoption, and on an on-going basis. North Yorkshire Council commits to developing and reviewing these and other areas for inclusion in this Charter in more detail.

1.8 This document is the culmination of the first stage in this process and sets out a number of key principles by which North Yorkshire Council will work with the parish sector in their areas. It also sets out further stages in the process by which a more detailed Charter will be developed, reviewed and updated on a continuing basis.

2.0 Background information

2.1 At the time of writing this Charter, there are 731 parishes in North Yorkshire. Arrangements by which the parish sector operates are complex and varied. The majority of these parishes have a parish, town or city council, however, there are also a number of parish meetings without such a council.

2.2 In some areas parishes may work together with neighbouring parishes to run a grouped, joint or common parish council. As well as these formal combined arrangements, parishes may informally group together.

2.3 Parish and town councils are the most local level of government in England. Collectively, they are often referred to as local councils. County, district and unitary authorities, by contrast, are often referred to in legislation and guidance as principal authorities.

2.4 In this document the term 'parish sector' is used to encompass all the various arrangements by which parishes operate. More information about different arrangements are provided in appendix 1.

3.0 Introduction

3.1 The purpose of this Charter is to define the relationship between North Yorkshire Council and the parish sector. It has been designed to facilitate effective partnership working and understanding between the two tiers of local government within North Yorkshire at a time of significant change.

3.2 It sets out a framework for defining and developing joint principles to enable North Yorkshire Council and the parish sector to work effectively together to improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of North Yorkshire.

3.3 North Yorkshire Council acknowledges that the parish sector is the grassroots level of local government. The parish sector acknowledges the strategic role and responsibilities of North Yorkshire Council. The parish sector and North Yorkshire Council recognise each other as independent authorities legitimised through the democratic process and legal independence.

3.4 North Yorkshire Council supports and encourages the development of the parish sector as democratically accountable bodies having local governance responsibilities and local representational authority to shape the decisions that affect their communities. North Yorkshire Council recognises the potential for the devolvement of appropriate services and decision-making responsibilities and will support this devolvement by mutual agreement to the parish sector. This will be where the sector has the ability to discharge them, where it is cost neutral to North Yorkshire Council and where it is appropriate.

3.5 North Yorkshire Council will encourage the parish sector to adopt recognised good governance standards. These include standards set by National Association of Local Councils (NALC) in their Local Council Award Scheme.

3.6 The parish sector will ensure that North Yorkshire Council is informed about relevant local issues of which they are aware to support its decision-making as appropriate.

3.7 The implementation of the Charter, and its effectiveness, will be monitored by the North Yorkshire Parish Charter Review Group and the document will be updated as required. The terms of reference of the North Yorkshire Parish Charter Review Group are attached at appendix 2.

4.0 Partnership working

4.1 The former North Yorkshire County Council’s submission to government for the establishment of a unitary council put forward a case for a locality-based delivery model.

4.2 North Yorkshire Council recognises the need for strong and successful partnership working with the parish sector as a specific group. This can only be achieved if all partners understand and respect each other’s roles and work cooperatively to serve the community. It is recognised that both North Yorkshire Council and parish sector councillors and the chairs of parish meetings are elected to their roles for the benefit of their diverse communities. It is also acknowledged that many parishes have very limited resources. In addition, the new North Yorkshire Council is committed to delivering improved efficiency and effectiveness in services, reducing duplication, and achieving savings. Effective partnership working is key in achieving this commitment.

4.3 North Yorkshire Council recognises that the parish sector across North Yorkshire are:

  • bodies which draw on their local democratic accountability and expertise to take decisions and actions, and to collaborate with responsible bodies including North Yorkshire Council and other public sector bodies, to benefit their communities
  • key providers of some local public services, as authorised by statute
  • facilitators and supporters of action by the wider community, providing resources, encouragement and a ‘stamp of approval’ to community initiatives

4.4 North Yorkshire council recognises the community leadership role and responsibilities of the parish sector in response to ultra-local priorities set out in a range of plans and programmes.

4.5 The parish sector recognises the strategic role and responsibilities of North Yorkshire Council and its priorities as set out in its council plan.

4.6 North Yorkshire Council and the parish sector will work together in partnership to:

  • promote and protect social, economic and environmental well-being for the benefit of our local communities, to ensure vibrancy and future sustainability
  • strive to eliminate all forms of discrimination and promote equality of opportunity
  • promote an active democracy to ensure all members of every North Yorkshire community are able to have a say in our future and to help develop a shared vision, identity and sense of belonging
  • welcome all feedback and aim to act quickly and efficiently to address issues within their power
  • respect and promote the role of both elected and co-opted councillors as representatives of their communities through positive communication, leadership and engagement, all undertaken to high ethical standards
  • give importance and recognition to issues and ideas raised at each level of local government
  • ensure efficient, effective and value for money management, supported by adequate training

4.7 North Yorkshire Council is working to establish a network of community partnerships which will involve local people, partners and communities coming together to act as local agents for economic and social change. They will be places of collaboration between business, public sector. Community partnerships will see a range of local stakeholders working in partnership on matters of shared interest and this will include the parish sector as part of these local multi-agency partnerships. As parishes will play an important role in these partnerships, updates on their progress will be presented to the Parish Charter Review Group and the Charter updated as appropriate.

5.0 Communication

5.1 Effective communication is the basis for any successful working relationship, it needs to be a two-way process utilising a variety of methods. The Yorkshire Local Councils Associations has an important role in facilitating communication and providing coordinated feedback and training.

5.2 North Yorkshire Council will:

  • use a variety of methods to communicate with the parish sector - selecting the most effective method, dependent on the issue and which parish(es) are impacted
  • make best use of the information technology available to promote quick and efficient communication, recognising that many people involved with parishes do so on a voluntary basis and may require additional time to respond
  • respond to enquiries and reported issues from the parish sector within prescribed timescales. This is: to acknowledge communications within five working days of receipt and provide a full response (if required) as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event within 20 working days

If this is not possible an explanation will be given as to why along with an indication of when a full reply will be provided. The extended 20 working day timescale is to allow further time which may be required to undertake site visits, investigations, consultation or research.

  • ensure working arrangements with the parish sector are reviewed regularly via the North Yorkshire Parish Charter Review Group
  • notify the parish sector via email of all programmed maintenance and improvement schemes relating to highways and other matters of significant impact within their boundaries
  • circulate notification of the publication of Area Constituency Committee agendas and papers on our website to parish clerks at the same time as they are sent to our members
  • provide opportunities for members of the public, including elected members (councillors) and parish clerks, to ask a question or make a statement at the start of ordinary meetings (Executive and committees), if notice, including the full text of the question or statement, has been given in writing or email to the Democratic Services team at democratic.services@northyorks.gov.uk no later than midday three working days before the day of the meeting
  • endeavour to respond to any invitation from the parish sector to speak at meetings on matters of mutual interest
  • ensure that registers of interest for Parish Councillors are published, noting that there is a legal requirement for these to be provided to North Yorkshire Council by the Parish Councils and for North Yorkshire Council to publish them

5.3 The parish sector will:

  • make every effort to attend and be represented at relevant North Yorkshire Council meetings and events when invited
  • make best use of the information technology available to them to communicate with North Yorkshire Council
  • encourage Councillors to have access to and use of electronic communication
  • where practicable, support, provide and encourage all clerks to have access to a computer owned by the relevant parish sector body and a dedicated parish sector body account email (rather than personal)
  • send a substantive reply to correspondence from North Yorkshire Council within 28 working days (not including responses to consultation documents), unless there are exceptional reasons why this cannot happen
  • provide up to date contact details/changes to contact details for Parish Clerks, Chairs and Councillors to North Yorkshire Council’s Democratic Services team in a timely manner
  • provide up to date registers of interests information for Parish Councillors to North Yorkshire Council’s Democratic Services team in a timely manner (contact details are in appendix 3)
  • use a variety of appropriate methods to communicate and consult with communities, such as, through setting up group chats using messaging apps, village magazines, noticeboards and flyers
  • raise any issues relating to dissatisfaction with North Yorkshire Council’s actions, the response to a request for information, or failures to consult, by making a formal complaint through the North Yorkshire Council's complaints’ procedure, noting that these issues can also be raised with the relevant elected Member of North Yorkshire Council
  • note that comments relating to services provided in a particular area can be considered by the relevant Area Constituency Committee as part of their agenda and work programme setting (details are in appendix 3)
  • report all non-urgent highway defects via the North Yorkshire Council Parish Portal online reporting system (this was designed following engagement with the parish sector and includes a full record of all reports made to North Yorkshire Council’s Highways department together with available updates for each case, more information is available in appendix 3)
  • provide the opportunity for North Yorkshire Council officers and Members to speak at meetings on matters of mutual interest

6.0 Consultation and engagement

6.1 North Yorkshire Council will:

  • engage with the parish sector on key issues that are likely to affect or be of particular interest to their area
  • follow Government practice and allow 12 weeks for consultation where possible
  • provide the parish sector with sufficient information to enable them to reach an informed view on matters upon which they are being consulted
  • support the engagement process through North Yorkshire Council Councillors
  • consult the parish sector in respect of planning, licensing and highways matters
  • take account of the views of the parish sector during the North Yorkshire Council budget setting process, providing information in a timely manner
  • provide briefing or training sessions to the parish sector on complex consultation issues and where capacity allows
  • provide feedback to the parish sector on the results of consultations
  • use plain English and keep information jargon free when consulting with the parish sector
  • offer information in different formats where that is appropriate

6.2 The parish sector will:

  • provide a representative at North Yorkshire Council engagement meetings, whenever practicable to do so
  • recognise the strategic role of North Yorkshire Council in tackling issues that look beyond individual parish boundaries
  • respond within consultation deadlines set by North Yorkshire Council, unless otherwise agreed, such as by considering having an extraordinary meeting to meet the deadline
  • work with North Yorkshire Council to seek mutually acceptable solutions to issues

7.0 Finance

7.1 Financial arrangements will be informed by the overarching principles of fairness, efficiency and transparency.

7.2 North Yorkshire Council will:

  • consult the parish sector on proposed changes to service provision and on budget implications in a timely manner
  • provide information in a timely manner, such as the tax base, to support and assist the parish sector in determining their precepts
  • pay the precept to the parish sector in two equal instalments, on the last working day of April and last working day of September (any precept under £5,000 would be paid in one instalment at the end of April)

7.3 The parish sector will:

  • provide precept information by the mutually agreed deadline
  • be responsible for the full cost of any parish by-election within their parish, from the 1 April 2024, in-line with the approved North Yorkshire policy for recharges of parish by-elections in place from time to time

8.0 Local services and assets

8.1 The parish sector is able to provide some local services and organise activities which take place within their area. Many parish sector councils across North Yorkshire already provide and operate a range of services, including parks, playing fields, cemeteries, closed churchyards, and allotments.

8.2 North Yorkshire Council will:

  • support the parish sector to maintain their own local services and assets if they wish to, and where it is practicable for them to do so
  • consider, in accordance with relevant legislation and the Council’s own policy and procurement arrangements, proposals for the transfer of some locally based services and assets to the parish sector. This will exclude decision making on matters such as planning applications and traffic regulation orders and a range of services which the North Yorkshire Council are not able to delegate because of their particular statutory nature, such as children’s education, social care

8.3 The parish sector will:

  • manage, maintain and resource the provision of local services and facilities, where appropriate in consultation with North Yorkshire Council

8.4 It should be recognised that the above principles are general and there can be local variations.

9.0 Practical support

9.1 North Yorkshire Council offers practical support to the parish sector in a number of areas. This will be reviewed and further information provided as services are transformed following vesting day. North Yorkshire Councillors can provide information to the parish sector about issues in their areas and take the views of the local community into account in the decision-making process. They also have locality budgets which allow them to respond to local needs by recommending funding to support specific activities. The following sets out the practical support available to the parish sector at the current time.

9.2 North Yorkshire Council will:

  • offer the parish sector access to some services (such as printing, purchasing and training) at a mutually agreed price and as part of joint procurement opportunities
  • offer the ability to join a street lighting energy contract and street lighting maintenance contract where possible and following an assessment, on a case-by-case basis (this applies to parish sector authorities only)
  • provide a first point of contact when the parishes are developing or refreshing parish plans, through the relevant North Yorkshire Council team
  • consider whether there are areas of a parish plan where it could help the parish sector
  • provide a point of contact for support and possible grant funding opportunities for community-based projects
  • provide the parish sector with advice and guidance to develop a Community Resilience Scheme, through the Resilience and Emergencies Team. This will enable the parish sector to increase their local community's resilience in the first few hours of an incident such as flooding, before the emergency services arrive
  • provide advice, guidance and support to the parish sector on their rights in respect of Community Right to Bid, Community Right to Challenge and the Community Right to Build as set out in the Localism Act
  • offer opportunities for the parish sector to manage some services and assets, including transfer of appropriate budget, where this is cost neutral to North Yorkshire Council and there is a sound business case in accordance with North Yorkshire Council policy

9.3 Further information on how to report issues (such as matters relating to highways) and obtain advice, together with contact details, are set out in appendix 3.

10.0 Next steps - further development, monitoring and review

10.1 As stated previously, this document represents the first stage in the process towards developing a more comprehensive Parish Charter which will include detailed working arrangements between North Yorkshire Council and the parish sector in its area. It commits North Yorkshire Council to work with the parish sector to agree detailed arrangements regarding specific service areas such as planning, elections, finance, economic development, and so on. 

10.2 The implementation of the Charter, and its effectiveness, will be monitored by the North Yorkshire Parish Charter Review Group and the document will be updated as required. The terms of reference of the North Yorkshire Parish Charter Review Group are attached at appendix 2.

Appendix 1 - Local Council Arrangements

Parish and town councils are the most local level of government in England. Collectively, they are often referred to as ‘local councils’. County, district and unitary authorities, by contrast, are often referred to in legislation and guidance as ‘principal authorities’. Parish and town councils are represented by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), and by county-based associations, like the Yorkshire Local Councils Associations (YLCA). Parish councils may resolve to call themselves ‘town’, ‘neighbourhood’, ‘community’, or ‘village’ councils.

  • parish councils mainly cover rural parts of England
  • a parish with a population of over 300 may choose to constitute a separate parish council

City councils

In England, a number of parish councils for areas which have been granted city status by royal charter are known as ‘city councils’. In North Yorkshire this includes Ripon City Council. This is known as the ‘style’ of a council. It has no effect on the status or legal powers available to the council. The chair of a town or city council, which is a parish council in law, may style themselves as Mayor.

Smaller parishes (parish meetings)

No part of England is obliged to have a parish council. The Local Government Act 1972 requires a parish meeting to take place in all parishes. A parish meeting is a distinct legal entity from a parish council. It must hold two meetings per year, one of which must take place between 1 March and 1 June (in practice this obligation may be disregarded, and there are few sanctions available if a parish meeting is not held).

There is provision in the Local Government Act 1972 for the dissolution of the council for a small parish. Where a parish has 150 or fewer electors, the parish meeting may apply to the district or unitary council for the parish council to be abolished. There is also a power for parish meetings to apply to the district for two or more parishes to be grouped together under a common parish council, or for existing grouping arrangements to be changed or abandoned.

Charter trustees

Charter trustees are established under section 246 of the Local Government Act 1972. They are established in towns and cities which have a Royal Charter but which have lost their status as local government entities in previous local government reorganisations. Where a new parish or town council is established for an area with charter trustees, the new body takes on their role and the charter trustees are discontinued. Currently, parts of Scarborough and Harrogate towns do not have a parish or town council and charter trustees for these areas have been established. However, community governance reviews are being undertaken and may lead to the formation of Town Councils for these areas shortly.

Clustering and grouped councils

Clustering or grouping arrangements will depend on the objectives of individual town and parish councils, they work best if town and parish councils have common interests and are in geographical proximity to each other. They can be simple, informal arrangements or have a more formal structure.

Clustering allows one town or parish council to carry out tasks and services on behalf of other parishes. It also allows smaller town and parish councils to make the most of new powers granted in the Localism Act 2011.

Clustering can be beneficial for town and parish councils, it means that:

  • there is more capacity for undertaking services and tasks
  • there is more shared knowledge and experience
  • more of the local communities are looked after
  • concerns of several town and parish councils have an louder voice
  • there is greater resilience
  • there are different funding opportunities due to there being the opportunity to undertake larger projects

North Yorkshire Council will work with clustering arrangements where town and parish councils choose to operate on this basis, however, it is recognised that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not appropriate and the decision to cluster is at the discretion of the individual parishes.

Parish Council Precepts

Parish councils may raise a ‘precept’ on the council tax bills produced by their local billing authority (North Yorkshire Council). This is essentially a demand for a sum to be collected through the council tax system. Council taxpayers cannot refuse to pay it, and the billing authority cannot refuse to levy it. It is the only source of tax revenue available to parish councils. Charter trustees also have the right to raise a precept.

In North Yorkshire 507 parishes (or groups of parishes) raised a precept in 2022 to 2023. The total council tax raised by North Yorkshire’s parishes in 2022 to 2023 was £9.3 million. Download the  Council Tax and Parish Precepts information 2023 to 24 booklet (pdf / 2 MB).

Appendix 2 - North Yorkshire Parish Charter Review Group terms of reference

These arrangements provide the framework for the operation of the Group.

1. Title

The group shall be called the North Yorkshire Parish Charter Review Group.

1.1 Background

At the time of writing of this Charter, there are 731 parishes in North Yorkshire. The majority of these parishes have a parish council, however, there are also a number of parish meetings without a parish council. In some areas small parishes may work together with neighbouring parishes to run a grouped, joint or common parish council. Further information about the various arrangements is provided in appendix 1 of the Parish Charter.

2. Objectives

The objectives of the group are:

  • to monitor the effectiveness of the North Yorkshire Parish Charter
  • to ensure that the Charter is updated on a regular basis to reflect changes to legislation, contact details, and so on
  • to support the development of working relationships between North Yorkshire Council and the parish sector

3. North Yorkshire Council Representatives

  • the North Yorkshire Council Executive portfolio holder for locality engagement
  • North Yorkshire Council Executive members and senior officers relevant to the issues being considered at the meeting (by invitation and as nominated by the North Yorkshire Council Executive portfolio holder for locality engagement)

4. Parish Sector Representatives

  • each North Yorkshire branch of the Yorkshire Locals Councils Associations (YLCA) shall appoint a representative to the Group to represent and advocate for all parishes in their geographical area (rather than representing their particular YLCA branch or the YLCA itself)
  • each representative can send a substitute who has been nominated

5. Chair

  • the Group shall be chaired by the Executive member of North Yorkshire Council or their nominee
  • the Vice Chair should be one of the parish representatives

6. Yorkshire Associations of Local Councils and Society of Local Council Clerks

  • a representative of Yorkshire Local Councils Associations (YLCA) and Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) shall be entitled to attend meetings of the Group

7. Meetings of the Group

  • meetings of the Group shall take place twice a year

8. Agenda and Minutes

  • agendas for meetings shall be circulated at least five working days before meetings and minutes shall be circulated as soon as practical after meetings of the Group
  • preparation and circulation of agendas and minutes shall be undertaken by a North Yorkshire Council Officer

9. North Yorkshire Council Officers

North Yorkshire Council shall arrange the attendance of relevant officers at meetings of the Group (subject to the focus of the meeting and availability).

10. Subgroups

The Group may appoint subgroups to undertake specific tasks and report back to the Group.

11. Review of Arrangements

These arrangements can be reviewed as required.

Appendix 3 - How to report issues and contact details

Assets of Community Value

For information and advice, please contact us.

Community Governance Reviews

Questions about community governance reviews including the creation, abolition or merger of a Town/Parish Council should be directed to the Elections Service, email elections@northyorks.gov.uk.

Council committees and decisions

The council operates through four main elements being the full Council, the Executive, Overview and Scrutiny, and its Committees. Each of these elements is supported by and delegates matters to Council employees known as Officers.

Full Council is where all Councillors meet together at meetings which are open to the public. At these meetings Councillors decide the Council’s overall policies and set the budget each year.

The Executive is the part of the council which is responsible for most day-to-day decisions. The council elects one Councillor as the Council Leader, who then appoints at least two, but not more than nine, other Councillors to form the Executive.

The council has appointed six Overview and Scrutiny Committees to look at the effectiveness of the Executive and help develop council policy. These Committees produce reports and recommendations which advise the Executive and the council as a whole on its policies, budget and service delivery, as well as looking at reviews of individual services.

Overview and Scrutiny Committees also monitor the decisions of the Executive. They can scrutinise an Executive decision which has been “called in” by any six Councillors. This enables them to consider whether the decision is appropriate. They may recommend that the Executive reconsider the decision or they may refer the matter to full Council. They may also be consulted by the Executive or the council on forthcoming decisions and the development of policy. A list of key decisions is published on the forward plan.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committees perform specific statutory functions in relation to the scrutiny of health and crime and disorder matters. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee that considers partnership working and community matters is the Corporate and Partnerships Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The council also appoints other Committees, including six Area Constituency Committees to deal with local matters and various regulatory committees to deal with functions including licensing and planning.

The Area Constituency Committees aim to give local citizens a greater say in council affairs. They cover the same areas as the six electoral constituencies for North Yorkshire MPs. They maintain an overview of the effectiveness of the public services provided to their local community by the council and other agencies and to advocate the interests of their community in relation to those services. They involve councillors for each particular area and meetings are held in public.

The Area Constituency Committees are as follows:

  • Harrogate and Knaresborough Area
  • Richmond (Yorks) Area
  • Scarborough and Whitby Area
  • Selby and Ainsty Area
  • Skipton and Ripon Area
  • Thirsk and Malton Area

The council constitution explains the structure and workings of the North Yorkshire Council, including all the rules and procedures under which the council operates. It sets out who makes decisions and how they are made, and the rights of citizens to obtain information and to influence decisions.

You can find the Council Constitution and which Executive Members have which portfolio responsibilities.

Devolution of powers to Parish and Town Councils from North Yorkshire Council

For information and advice, please email doubledevo@northyorks.gov.uk.

Elected Members including Code of Conduct, Complaints (standards complaints), Members Register of Interests, Conduct of Town and Parish Council meetings

For information and advice on matters relating to the Code of Conduct, complaints about Elected Members, Register of Interests, procedures at Parish/Town Council Meetings including public involvement please contact the Monitoring Officer:

  • by post:
    • The Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) and Monitoring Officer, North Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 8AD
  • telephone: 01609 532173
  • email: MonitoringOfficer@northyorks.gov.uk

Elections, including vacancies and resignations of Councillors

Please email elections@northyorks.gov.uk.

Information and guidance about how to become a parish or town councillor is available here. For full details of the electoral process, including the nomination procedure, and more guidance on standing as a candidate, visit the Electoral Commission website.

Guidance about the notice of vacancy procedure can be viewed on our advice for parish clerks when a casual vacancy occurs page.

Emergencies and Local Resilience

 Download a Community Emergency Plan template (pdf / 384 KB).

Funding is available to provide communities with one free community grab bag kit when an emergency plan is completed and shared with North Yorkshire Council. You can read more information on emergency planning.

North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum

The North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum can be contacted during office hours by emailing emergency@northyorks.gov.uk.

If you need urgent advice please phone North Yorkshire Police non-emergency number - 101.

In a life-threatening emergency situation, please call 999.

Please note that the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum office is not open in the evenings, weekends or public holidays.

North Yorkshire Council have an emergency duty officer on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and relevant partner agencies are able to contact the officer to alert them of an incident when needed.

Highways issues

In relation to Highways issues, the parish sector should:

  • use the North Yorkshire Council website where possible to find information about our services and news updates including road and footpath closures, temporary traffic lights and diversions
  • report all non-urgent highway defects (including potholes and drainage problems and providing any evidence to assist us in highways service delivery) via the North Yorkshire Council online highways problem reporting system or report via the North Yorkshire Council Parish Portal online reporting system
  • report all urgent highway issues by telephone to 0300 1312131 - for Highway issues outside of our Customer Service Centre working hours, that cannot wait, please contact the Police by calling 101 or contact the North Yorkshire Police online
  • report highway emergencies outside normal office hours by contacting North Yorkshire Police on 999, Highway emergencies include any highway hazards such as flooding, mud/diesel spillages, carriageway debris, fallen trees and any road or footway defects which may be a danger to highway users
  • reporting misuse of weight restricted routes by heavy goods vehicles is a matter dealt with by Trading Standards

National Parks

Parks in the geographical area are covered by North Yorkshire Council. The National Parks are governed by their own legislation, processes and procedures in relation to specific planning and rights of way within their jurisdiction.

This Parish Charter does not cover the relationship between the parish sector and the National Parks and reference should be made to their websites for further information:

Planning applications including responding to planning consultants

You can view and comment on a planning application online.

Social care emergencies

In relation to social care emergencies (out of hours support), the parish sector should:

  • report any social care emergencies that arise outside of normal office hours by telephoning 0300 1312131

Updates to parish contact details and registers of interest

Please email: democratic.services@northyorks.gov.uk to provide up to date contact details for Clerks, Chairs and Councillors.

Parish Councils are legally required to provide a Register of Interests for Councillors (including co-opted Members) to North Yorkshire Council. These should be emailed to democratic.services@northyorks.gov.uk

You can view councillor contact details and registers of interest online.

 Download the North Yorkshire Council Parish Charter (pdf / 2 MB).

A to Z of council services

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