The 2022 North Yorkshire Council election took place on 5 May 2022, alongside the other local elections. These were the last elections to North Yorkshire County Council, and the elected councillors would also serve as the first councillors on the North Yorkshire Council (a new unitary authority), which replaced the existing county council in April 2023.
The scheduled 2021 North Yorkshire County Council elections were not held due to the restructure of local government in the county.
The North Yorkshire County Council was led by a Conservative Party majority prior to the election.
Previous council composition After 2017 election Before 2022 election Party Seats Party Seats 55 51 10 14 4 4 3 3 Changes: July 2018: Michael Jordan leaves Conservatives to join the Yorkshire Party. August 2018: David Goode gains seat for Liberal Democrats from Conservatives in by-election July 2019: John Blackie (independent) dies; by-election held October 2019 October 2019: Yvonne Peacock gains seat for Conservatives from independent in by-election October 2019: Andrew Jenkinson leaves Conservatives to sit as an independent November 2019: Andrew Backhouse leaves Conservatives to sit as an independent August 2020: Michael Jordan returns from the Yorkshire Party to the Conservatives. January 2021: Richard Welch (Conservative) dies; by-election held in May 2021 March 2021: Geoff Weber (Liberal Democrats) dies; by-election held in May 2021 May 2021: Matt Scott gains seat for Conservatives from Liberal Democrats in by-election, David Staveley retains seat for Conservatives in by-election February 2022: Caroline Goodrick leaves Conservatives to sit as an independent Val Arnold leaves Conservatives to sit as an independent David Hugill leaves Conservatives to sit as an independent
Results summary The overall results were as follows. Party Councillors Votes Of total Net Of total Net Conservative Party 47 69,272 41.2% Labour Party 12 29,149 17.3% Liberal Democrats 12 26,527 15.8% Independents 13 23,207 13.8% Green 5 16,497 9.8% Liberal Party 1 1,469 0.9% Whitby Area Independents 0 1,306 0.8% Yorkshire Party 0 479 0.3% Reform UK 0 130 0.1% SDP 0 64 0.0%
Ward results The results for all 90 divisions were published by North Yorkshire Council.
Craven area Party Councillors Votes Of total Net Of total Net Conservative Party 3 5,389 34.4% Independents 3 3,006 19.2% Green 2 3,712 23.7% Labour Party 0 2,353 15.0% Liberal Democrats 0 1,115 7.1% Yorkshire Party 0 95 0.6%
Aire Valley
Bentham & Ingleton
Changes are shown from 2017 with the identical North Craven division of North Yorkshire County Council.
Glusburn, Cross Hills & Sutton-in-Craven
Mid Craven
Settle & Penyghent
Skipton East & South
Skipton North & Embsay-with-Eastby
Skipton West & West Craven
1 – Solloway and Madeley were both tied on 503 votes; Solloway won the seat via drawing of lots.
Hambleton area Party Councillors Votes Of total Net Of total Net Conservative Party 12 11,555 48.6% Liberal Democrats 1 3,460 14.5% Green 1 2,680 11.3% Labour Party 0 4,482 18.8% Independents 0 1,620 6.8%
Aiskew & Leeming
Bedale
Easingwold
Great Ayton
Hillside & Raskelf
Huby & Tollerton
Hutton Rudby & Osmotherley
Morton-on-Swale & Appleton Wiske
Northallerton North & Brompton
Northallerton South
Romanby
Sowerby & Topcliffe
Stokesley
Thirsk
Harrogate area Party Councillors Votes Of total Net Of total Net Liberal Democrats 10 16,067 35.4% Conservative Party 9 17,594 38.7% Independents 1 4,711 10.4% Green 1 3,945 8.7% Labour Party 0 2,908 6.4% Yorkshire Party 0 223 0.5%
Bilton & Nidd Gorge
Bilton Grange & New Park
Boroughbridge & Claro
Coppice Valley & Duchy
Fairfax & Starbeck
Harlow & St. Georges
High Harrogate & Kingsley
Killinghall, Hampsthwaite & Saltergate
Knaresborough East
Knaresborough West
Masham & Fountains
Oatlands & Pannal
Ouseburn
Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale
Ripon Minster & Moorside
Ripon Ure Bank & Spa
Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale & Tockwith
Stray, Woodlands & Hookstone
Valley Gardens & Central Harrogate
Washburn & Birstwith
Wathvale & Bishop Monkton
Richmondshire area Party Councillors Votes Of total Net Of total Net Conservative Party 5 5,622 44.1% Independents 1 2,985 23.4% Green 1 1,025 8.0% Liberal Democrats 0 2,701 21.2% Labour Party 0 424 3.3%
Catterick Village & Brompton-on-Swale
Hipswell & Colburn
Leyburn & Middleham
North Richmondshire
Richmond
Scotton & Lower Wensleydale
Upper Dales
Ryedale area Party Councillors Votes Of total Net Of total Net Conservative Party 4 7,175 44.5% Independents 2 2,659 16.5% Liberal Democrats 1 1,924 11.9% Liberal Party 1 1,469 9.1% Green 0 1,845 11.4% Labour Party 0 1,014 6.3% Yorkshire Party 0 50 0.3%
Amotherby & Ampleforth
Helmsley & Sinnington
Kirkbymoorside & Dales
Malton
Norton
Pickering
Sheriff Hutton & Derwent
Thornton Dale & Wolds
Scarborough area Party Councillors Votes Of total Net Of total Net Conservative Party 8 9,916 35.3% Labour Party 7 8,615 30.6% Independents 3 4,855 17.3% Green 0 1,857 6.6% Whitby Area Independents 0 1,306 4.6% Liberal Democrats 0 1,260 4.5% Reform UK 0 130 0.5% Yorkshire Party 0 111 0.4% SDP 0 64 0.2%
Castle
Cayton
Danby & Mulgrave
Derwent Valley & Moor
Eastfield
Esk Valley & Coast
Falsgrave & Stepney
Filey
Hunmanby & Sherburn
Newby
Northstead
Scalby & the Coast
Seamer
Weaponness & Ramshill
Wharfedale
Whitby Streonshalh
Whitby West
Woodlands
Selby area Party Councillors Votes Of total Net Of total Net Conservative Party 6 9,526 41.9% Labour Party 5 8,415 37.0% Independents 3 3,371 14.8% Green 0 1,433 6.3%
Appleton Roebuck & Church Fenton
Barlby & Riccall
Brayton & Barlow
Camblesforth & Carlton
Changes are shown from the 2021 by-election to the identical Camblesforth & Carlton ward of Selby District Council.
Cawood & Escrick
Cliffe & North Duffield
Monk Fryston & South Milford
Osgoldcross
Selby East
Selby West
Sherburn in Elmet
Tadcaster
Thorpe Willoughby & Hambleton
Changes 2022–2027 In June 2023, Mike Jordan, elected as a Conservative, left the party to contest the 2023 Selby and Ainsty by-election as an independent candidate. The change left the council under no overall control. By April 2024, he had joined Reform UK. Also in June 2023, Mike Schofield, elected as a Liberal Democrat, left the party to sit as an independent. He joined the Green Party in December 2025. In March 2024, Paul Haslam, elected as a Conservative, left the party to contest the 2024 York and North Yorkshire mayoral election as an independent candidate. In May 2024, Rich Maw, elected for Labour, left the party to sit as an independent. In October 2025, Karl Arthur, elected as a Conservative, joined Reform UK. In November 2025, John Mann, elected as a Conservative, left the party to sit as an independent. The change deprived the Conservative and Independents group of its council majority. Mann joined Reform UK in March 2026. In May 2026, Tim Grogan, elected as a Conservative, joined Reform UK.
By-elections
Masham & Fountains
The by-election followed the death of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson.
Eastfield
The by-election followed the resignation of Labour councillor Tony Randerson, who stood for re-election. Randerson was a candidate of the Social Justice Party, but was listed as an independent on the ballot paper because the party had not been registered with the Electoral Commission. The party was formally registered in February 2024.
Hutton Rudby & Osmotherley
The by-election followed the resignation of Conservative councillor Bridget Fortune on 17 July 2023. Joseph Body was nominated by the Labour Party but withdrew before the close of nominations.
Sowerby & Topcliffe
The by-election followed the resignation of Green councillor Dave Whitfield.
Stray, Woodlands & Hookstone
The by-election followed the resignation of Pat Marsh, who had been expelled from the Liberal Democrat group earlier that month over social-media comments about the Gaza war.
Eastfield
The by-election followed Tony Randerson's resignation on 1 May 2025.
Current council composition As of 22 July 2026, the council's composition was as follows. Party membership did not correspond exactly to the council's political groups: the Conservative administration included three independent councillors and therefore comprised 44 members. Party Seats 41 15 13 10 5 5 1
References