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. Since 2007, the leaders, or chairs of the policy and resources committee when there was no leader, were:[3][4]
^Gavaghan, Carl (13 August 2021). "John Clark, 'leader' of Ryedale Council and a politician for 40 years, dies in hospital". Scarborough News. Retrieved 19 June 2022. Cllr Clark was the chairman of Ryedale Council's Policy and Resources Committee, which made him the de facto leader of the authority after councillors chose not to elect a councillor to the official role of leader.
^Gavaghan, Carl (16 September 2021). "Ryedale Council elects Cllr Dinah Keal as new 'leader' following death of John Clark". Scarborough News. Retrieved 19 June 2022. Ryedale councillors this year chose not to elect a councillor to the official role of leader which means the chairman of the Policy and Resources committee represents the authority in situations previously reserved for the leader.