North Yorkshire Council

 

Executive

 

7 October 2025

 

Response to the third Local Government Boundary Commission for England Boundary Review Consultation

 

 

 

1.0

PURPOSE OF REPORT

 

 

1.1

To report the views of the Boundary Review Member Working Group (BRMWG) in respect of revised proposals on Council Division Boundaries by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

 

 

1.2

Executive is asked to approve the submission of the BRMWG’s recommendations to the Boundary Commission’s consultation.

 

 

 

2.0       BACKGROUND

 

2.1       In July, Executive and Full Council approved the submission to the Boundary Commission of a proposal for 89 Councillors in single-member divisions.  The report can be found here.

 

2.2       The Boundary Commission reviewed the proposal, alongside others received, and determined that the review would be based on 89 Councillors in single-member divisions. It also accepted the electorate forecast developed by the council to predict the number of electors in each area by 2030. On that basis, a Public Consultation was launched in October 2024.

 

2.3       The Boundary Review Member Working Group developed a proposed pattern of divisions which met the criteria of the Boundary Commission. This was approved by Executive in November 2024.  It was then submitted to the consultation in December 2024.

 

2.4       The Boundary Commission then used the information received from the consultation to develop their proposals.  On 1 April 2025, the Boundary Commission published its draft recommendations.  The BRMWG reconvened to review this proposal.  In June 2025, the Executive approved the recommended response of the BRMWG and this was submitted to the Boundary Commission.

 

2.5       On 2 September 2025, the Boundary Commission launched a further consultation on revisions to 25 divisions, in the western and central areas of the county.  Full details can be found here.  As with previous consultations, the Boundary Commission would welcome responses from all interested parties, with a closing date of 13 October 2025.

 

2.6       Whilst this extra consultation was not an expected part of the process, it reflects significant changes to the proposals based on information received in the previous consultation.  The BRMWG has reviewed the further draft proposals, and its recommendations can be found in Appendix 1.

 

 

3.0       KEY POINTS

 

3.1       The BRMWG broadly viewed the latest changes as an improvement, noting that in many cases the revisions brought the proposals more in line with the initial recommendations of the Council.

 

3.2       There remain a number of areas where the group did not fully agree with the proposals. However, it was recognised that there is no perfect solution and there are different perspectives on the best balance to be stuck in each area.  For this reason, it was decided to only respond on areas of key concern.  This includes:

 

·         The three divisions proposed for Ripon, which divide the historic city centre and align this with entirely rural areas to the south

·         Parish areas where grouped parishes have not been recognised in proposals, or where the proposed boundaries divide parishes undergoing Community Governance Reviews where it would be preferrable if parishes that may be merged as a result of the Community Governance Review are placed in the same Division.

 

3.3       The detail of the BRMWG’s recommendations can be found in Appendix 1.  Subject to the Executive’s approval, this would be submitted to the Boundary Commission prior to the close of the consultation.

 

 

 

4.0

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

 

 

That the Executive:

 

 

 

i)       Approve the submission of the BRMWG’s recommendations to the Boundary Commission on behalf of North Yorkshire Council

 

 

 

ii)     Delegate authority to the Assistant Chief Executive – Local Engagement, in consultation with the Council Leader and Chairman of the BRMWG, to submit the response with any amendments or additional information required for clarity in communicating the recommendations of the group.

 

 

 

 

Rachel Joyce

Assistant Chief Executive – Local Engagement

 

Report Author – Will Boardman, Head of Strategy and Performance