The City of York is a unitary authority area with city status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The district's main settlement is York, and it extends to the surrounding area including the town of Haxby and the villages of Earswick, Upper Poppleton, Nether Poppleton, Copmanthorpe, Bishopthorpe, Dunnington, Stockton on the Forest, Rufforth, Askham Bryan and Askham Richard, among other villages and hamlets. The unitary area had a population of 202,800 in the 2021 Census The City of York is administered by the City of York Council based in The Guildhall. Governance York's first citizen and civic head is the Lord Mayor, who is the chairman of the City of York Council. The appointment is made by the city council each year in May, at the same time as appointing the Sheriff, the city's other civic head. The offices of Lord Mayor and Sheriff are purely ceremonial. The Lord Mayor carries out civic and ceremonial duties in addition to chairing full council meetings. The incumbent Lord Mayor since 26 May 2022 is Councillor David Carr, and the Sheriff is Suzie Mercer. As a result of the 2019 City of York Council election, the Conservative Party was reduced to two seats. The Liberal Democrats had 21 councillors, while the Labour Party had 17 councillors and the Green Party had four with three Independents. Due to no overall control, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party agreed to form a coalition on 14 May 2019. Civil parishes The district contains the unparished area of York and 31 civil parishes: Acaster Malbis Askham Bryan Askham Richard Bishopthorpe Clifton Without Copmanthorpe Deighton Dunnington Earswick Elvington Fulford Haxby Heslington Hessay Heworth Without Holtby Huntington Kexby Murton Naburn Nether Poppleton New Earswick Osbaldwick Rawcliffe Rufforth with Knapton Skelton Stockton-on-the-Forest Strensall with Towthorpe Upper Poppleton Wheldrake Wigginton Wards York is divided into 21 electoral wards: Acomb, Bishopthorpe, Clifton, Copmanthorpe, Dringhouses and Woodthorpe, Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington, Guildhall, Haxby and Wigginton, Heworth, Heworth Without, Holgate, Hull Road, Huntington and New Earswick, Micklegate, Osbaldwick and Derwent, Rawcliffe and Clifton Without, Rural West York, Strensall, Westfield, and Wheldrake. History The district was formed on 1 April 1996 from the previous non-metropolitan district of York and the parishes of Hessay, Nether Poppleton, Rufforth and Upper Poppleton from Harrogate district, the parishes of Clifton Without, Earswick, Haxby, Heworth Without, Holtby, Huntington, Murton, New Earswick, Osbaldwick, Rawcliffe, Skelton, Stockton-on-the-Forest, Strensall, Towthorpe