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The civic archive is the historical archive of the City of York Council and predecessor bodies. The oldest surviving record dates from 1155. It is the archive of the civic life of the city and will continue to grow and take in new records to preserve the present for the future.

The collection is rich and varied record of everyday life in the city of York over many centuries. The core collection consists of the records of governance and adminstration, such as council minutes from 1476, chamberlain's accounts from 1398 and the minutes of dozens of committees on subjects as diverse as air raids, libraries, public assistance and markets.

The collection also includes the records of departments (from the twentieth century) and arms length bodies whose responsibilites were transferred to or from the council over time, such as the trustees for the Ouse and the Foss.

To explore record creators such as committees or civic officials search for 'corporate bodies' in the catalogue, where you can find detailed information and a link to the records of each. This is a good way of unpicking the complex web of departments and committees which changed their names often whilst continuing to carry out the same function.

This catalogue is a selection of the civic archive showing the records which are currently available for access only. Further historical and modern records will be added as they are catalogued and processed into the new archive store at York Explore, including records post 1974.

Records containing the personal data of individuals living or presumed to be living are restricted under the Data Protection Act.

Series of council minutes from the reformation of the Corporation of the City of York, which took place in 1835, onwards. Includes minutes for meetings of:
The City of York Corporation (Reformed), 1836-1974
York District Council (acting as a shadow council), 1973-1974
York City Council, 1974-1996
York District Council (acting as a shadow council), 1995-1996
City of York Council, 1996 onwards

The minutes represent the changes which the city underwent as a result of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, including the loss of certain legal privileges and rights, the widening of the electorate, and the changing of the council structure. Business was increasingly put into the hands of committees with a specific functional focus, and the minutes increasingly take the form of copies of reports from these committees, which are reviewed by councillors. After Local Government Reform in 1974, the bound volumes of council minutes also include minutes of these committees, as well as copies of committee reports and papers.

This series represents the surviving signed minutes, although some minutes are missing their signatures. These are the complete and full minutes, and as such include confidential items not included in the public minutes which were made available from the 1880s.

Matters discussed in the minutes include (but are not limited to):
Council administration, including salaries and staff management
Management of the public realm, including parks, strays, allotments, street maintenance and development
Property management and development, including civic buildings, civic structures such as bridges, and the bar walls and bars
Planning services, including some details of planning applications
Transport
Museums, galleries, and libraries
Tourism in the city
Education
Environmental issues, including river management, drainage, and sanitary management
Trade and marks regulation
Finances
Health and the provision of health services
Public order and justice, including items relating to the Watch Committee and the city police, the gaols, fire services, and wartime emergency services
Social assistance, including provision and management of housing and tenants, child welfare provision, and social services
Management of utilities within the city