Ryedale District Council in North Yorkshire, England was established in 1974 and abolished in 2023. It was elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2003, 30 councillors were elected from 20 wards.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control from 1974 until its abolition in 2023 was as follows:
Ryedale operated on a committee system, and decided at each annual meeting whether to appoint a leader of the council that year or not. When no leader was appointed, political leadership was exercised by the chair of the policy and resources committee; the role of chair of the council was largely ceremonial. From 2007 until the abolition of the council in 2023, the leaders, or chairs of the policy and resources committee when there was no leader, were: