City of York Council
Resolutions and proceedings of the Annual Council Meeting of the City of York Council held in the Guildhall, York on Thursday, 21 May 2026, starting at 11.00 am
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Present: The outgoing Lord Mayor (Councillor Martin Rowley BEM) in the Chair for the first part of the meeting, the incoming Lord Mayor (Councillor Margaret Wells) in the Chair for the second part of the meeting, and the following Councillors: |
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Acomb Ward |
Bishopthorpe Ward |
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Lomas Rose
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Nicholls
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Clifton Ward |
Copmanthorpe Ward |
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Myers Wells
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Steward
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Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Ward |
Fishergate Ward |
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Fenton Mason Widdowson
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Whitcroft Wilson
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Fulford and Heslington Ward |
Guildhall Ward |
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Ravilious
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Clarke Melly Merrett
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Haxby and Wigginton Ward |
Heworth Ward |
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Cuthbertson Hollyer Watson
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Douglas Perrett Webb
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Heworth Without Ward |
Holgate Ward |
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Ayre
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Kent Steels-Walshaw Taylor
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Hull Road Ward |
Huntington and New Earswick Ward |
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Baxter Moroney Pavlovic
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Cullwick Orrell Runciman
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Micklegate Ward |
Osbaldwick and Derwent Ward |
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Burton Crawshaw Kilbane
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Rowley
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Rawcliffe and Clifton Without Ward |
Rural West York Ward |
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Smalley Waudby
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Hook Knight
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Strensall Ward |
Westfield Ward |
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Fisher Healey
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Coles Nelson Waller
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Wheldrake Ward |
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Vassie
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1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Wann and Warters.
2. Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
3. Appointment of Lord Mayor
Councillor Runciman moved, Councillor Perrett seconded, and Council unanimously
Resolved: That Councillor Margaret Wells be elected Lord Mayor of the City of York for the 2026/27 municipal year.
4. Qualification of Lord Mayor
Councillor Margaret Wells signified Acceptance of the Office of the Lord Mayor of the City of York, subscribed the Declaration of Acceptance and took the Oath of Allegiance.
5. Appointment of Sheriff
Councillor Mason moved, Councillor Fenton seconded, and Council unanimously
Resolved: That Geoff Cossins be elected Sheriff of the City of York for the 2026/27 municipal year.
6. Qualification of Sheriff
Geoff Cossins signified Acceptance of the Office of the Sheriff of the City of York, subscribed the Declaration of Acceptance and took the Oath of Allegiance.
7. Appointment of Deputy Lord Mayor
Councillor Wells as Lord Mayor moved, Councillor Orrell seconded, and Council unanimously
Resolved: That Councillor Martin Rowley BEM be appointed Deputy Lord Mayor for the 2026/27 municipal year.
8. Qualification of Deputy Lord Mayor
Councillor Martin Rowley BEM made and subscribed the Declaration of Acceptance of the Office of Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of York and took the Affirmation of Allegiance.
9. Under Sheriff
The Sheriff advised Council that Jessica Fry had been chosen to serve as Under Sheriff during this year of office, and thanked her
for undertaking this service to the city.
10. Vote of Thanks to Outgoing Lord Mayor and Lord Mayor's Consort
Councillor Whitcroft moved, Councillor Orrell seconded, and Council unanimously
Resolved: That Council express its sincere thanks to the outgoing Lord Mayor, Councillor Martin Rowley BEM, and Lord Mayor’s Consort, Elizabeth Rowley, for their services to the city during the 2025/26 municipal year.
11. Vote of Thanks to Outgoing Sheriff and Sheriff's Consort
Councillor Douglas moved, Councillor Mason seconded, and Council unanimously
Resolved: That Council express its sincere thanks to the outgoing Sheriff, Paul Doughty, and Sheriff’s Consort, David Smith, for their services to the city during the 2025/26 municipal year.
12. Committee Arrangements, Allocation of Seats and Appointments to the Council Structure and Other Bodies for 2026/27, and Allocation of Council Motions
Councillor Douglas moved, and Councillor Kilbane seconded, the
recommendations in respect of allocations to seats, appointments,
and other matters, as set out in the report of the Director of
Governance.
On being put to the vote, the recommendations were declared CARRIED unanimously and it was
Resolved:
i) Agrees the allocation of seats in accordance with the
arrangements set out in Annex A;
ii) Agrees the delegation of approval of future changes to
group allocations to the Director of Governance and
Monitoring Officer;
iii) Notes the Leader of the Council has been elected for a
term of four years from 2023 to 2027;
iv) Notes the Executive appointments and respective
portfolios;
v) Notes the group nominations to Committees and other
bodies, as well as appointments to Chairs and Vice Chairs, as set out in this report and its annexes, together
with details of any nominations and appointments which
may be circulated prior to the meeting, in light of the
Council’s duty to give effect to group nominations;
vi) Waives political balance requirements in respect of the
Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation place; and
vii) Notes the allocation of motions for consideration at
Ordinary Full Council meetings for the period 2026-2027
as set out in Annex C.
Reason: To fulfil the Council’s statutory and constitutional
requirements.
13. Urgent Business
There were no urgent items of business.
Councillor Margaret Wells
LORD MAYOR OF YORK
(The meeting started at 11.00 am and concluded at 12.25 pm)