FORMER Conservative party leader William Hague has backed proposals for City of York Council to remain as it is and for North Yorkshire County Council to form a single authority for the rest of the region under local government reorganisation. Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby Robert Goodwill has also backed the plans over a rival proposal, which would see the county split into two separate councils with York, Selby, Ryedale and Scarborough merged in the east. But York s Conservative group are in favour of the east to west split which would dismantle City of York Council in its current form.