VOTERS across North Yorkshire were today going to the polls to decide who runs their county council for their next four years.

All 72 North Yorkshire County Council seats are up for grabs, with the Conservatives securing an overall majority by winning 46 seats in 2009.

However, the party is tipped to come under pressure this time, with the performance of UKIP – which is fielding 48 candidates, compared with just two at the last election – being closely monitored.

In total, 290 candidates are contesting seats in the Selby, Ryedale, Hambleton, Scarborough, Harrogate, Richmondshire and Craven districts. Votes will be counted and results announced tomorrow.

Hambleton District Council will be piloting new polling booths at its 96 polling stations, with voters being screened by cardboard rather than wood for the first time. Phil Morton, the authority’s chief executive, said: “Feedback from election officers was telling us that the wooden booths are too heavy to manage and are starting to need replacing, so we have hunted around for a lightweight solution.”

He said the cardboard booths were cheaper and may be used elsewhere in North Yorkshire in future if the experiment succeeds. Polling stations across the region are open until 10pm today.