Voters are being urged to make their voices heard in the most important local election for nearly half-a-century which will provide a “defining moment” in shaping key services for Ryedale.

The county’s electorate will go to the polls tomorrow (May 5), to decide the political make-up of a new unitary authority that will be launched in the spring of next year.

The councillors will serve the final year of North Yorkshire County Council and will then be the voice of the public for the first four years of the new over-arching single authority. They will shape what public services will look like ahead of the launch of the new North Yorkshire Council on April 1, 2023, making decisions affecting the 600,000-strong population in the county.

The move to create the new authority, which will see the county council merged with the existing seven district councils – including Ryedale District Council – represents the biggest shake-up in local government in North Yorkshire since 1974, when the current structure of local government was introduced.

Richard Flinton, the county returning officer for the election who is also the chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, said: “The election on May 5 is such an important day not just for how the new council will be shaped, but also for everyone who lives and works in North Yorkshire.

“This is an opportunity for everyone who is registered to vote to help decide on who they want to represent them at what is a defining moment for North Yorkshire.

“The importance of these elections is hugely significant, as it not only lays the foundations for the decision-makers for the new unitary authority, but it also paves the way for a devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York.”

Ryedale District Council currently provides many of the services that people rely on day-to-day, such as housing, waste and recycling collection, local planning, leisure and recreation and environmental health.

The Government has stipulated that a key requirement for any devolution deal for North Yorkshire is for the current two-tier system of local government, with the county council and seven district councils, to be replaced by a single unitary authority.

City of York Council will continue as a unitary authority to run in tandem with the new North Yorkshire Council.

The deal to hand over decision-making powers and tens of millions of pounds in funding to political leaders in York and North Yorkshire is currently being negotiated with the Government, with an announcement on an offer for devolution expected this summer before public consultations are staged later in the year.

The local elections tomorrow will see 90 seats at stake for councillors on the new North Yorkshire Council spread across 89 electoral divisions.

A total of 310 candidates will contest the election, with the Conservative Party fielding candidates in all 90 seats, along with 67 Labour and Co-operative Party candidates, 48 Green Party candidates, 45 Liberal Democrats and 45 Independents. The remaining 15 candidates will be from a range of other smaller parties.

District and borough councils will remain until April 1 next year and the councillors serving on those local authorities will continue in their roles until that date.

North Yorkshire County Council area librarian, Nicola Dengate, said: “I’ll definitely be voting in the county council elections on May 5 because local services like libraries really matter to me. It’s important that everyone has their say and votes for who they want to represent them among the 90 councillors elected. So make your vote count.”

And Carey Bilton, a senior business advisor at Ryedale District Council, added: “I’ve lived in North Yorkshire all of my life and have daughters who attend school and college here, so I know how important local services are to people living and working in our communities.

“I also know that thriving businesses are crucial to our area and across the county, so I’ll certainly be making my vote count on May 5.”

Polling stations will be open across the county from 7am until 10pm.

More details about the new electoral divisions and the May 5 county council elections are available at www.northyorks.gov.uk/elections while the results are expected on Friday afternoon.