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Cambridge City Council

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Cambridge City Council
Coat of arms or logo
Coat of arms
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Maria Cleminson,
Green
since 21 May 2026[1]
Katie Thornburrow,
Labour
since 1 June 2026
Robert Pollock
since April 2021[2]
Structure
Seats42 councillors[3]
BERJAYA
Political groups
Minority administration (17)
  Labour (17)
Opposition (25)
  Green (12)
  Liberal Democrats (11)
  Conservative (1)
  Your Party (1)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
BERJAYA
The Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge, CB2 3QJ
Website
www.cambridge.gov.uk

Cambridge City Council is the local authority for Cambridge, a non-metropolitan district with city status in Cambridgeshire, England. The council has been under no overall control since 2026; from 2014–2026 it was under the control of a Labour majority. It meets at Cambridge Guildhall. The council is a member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

History

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Cambridge was an ancient borough. Its date of being established as a borough is unknown, with its earliest known charter dating from 1102.[4] A subsequent charter issued by King John in 1207 granted the borough the right to appoint a mayor. The earliest recorded mayor was Harvey FitzEustace, who served in 1213.[5]

The borough of Cambridge was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the 'Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Cambridge', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.[6] Cambridge was granted city status on 21 March 1951 in recognition of its history, administrative importance, and economic success, allowing the council to call itself Cambridge City Council.[7]

The Local Government Act 1972 reconstituted Cambridge as a non-metropolitan district with effect from 1 April 1974; it kept the same boundaries and its city status, but there were changes to the council's responsibilities.[8]

The city of Cambridge is completely encircled by the neighbouring district of South Cambridgeshire. The two authorities work together on some projects, such as the Greater Cambridge Local Plan.[9] Since 2017 the city has been a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, led by the directly-elected Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.[10]

Governance

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Cambridge City Council provides district-level services, including parks and open spaces, waste collection, council housing and town planning. The Council also organises numerous events throughout the year, including the Cambridge Folk Festival and a programme of free summer entertainment entitled Summer in the City. Cambridgeshire County Council provides County-level services.[11] Cambridge has no civil parishes and is entirely an unparished area.[12]

Political control

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The council was under Labour majority control from 2014 to 2026, when it fell into no overall control.[13]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:[14]

Party in controlYears
Labour1974–1976
Conservative1976–1979
No overall control1979–1986
Labour1986–1987
No overall control1987–1988
Labour1988–1992
No overall control1992–1996
Labour1996–1998
No overall control1998–2000
Liberal Democrats2000–2012
No overall control2012–2014
Labour2014–2026
No overall control 2026–present

Leadership

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The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Cambridge. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since the 1974 reforms have been:[15]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Peter WrightLabourApr 1974May 1976
John PowleyConservativeMay 1976May 1979
Chris Gough-GoodmanConservativeMay 1979May 1980
Peter WrightLabourMay 1980May 1982
Chris HowardLabourMay 1982May 1987
Mark ToddLabourMay 1987May 1990
Simon Sedgwick-JellLabourMay 1990Oct 1994
Kevin SouthernwoodLabourOct 1994Feb 1999
Ruth BagnallLabourFeb 1999May 2000
David Howarth[16]Liberal DemocratsMay 200017 Jul 2003
Ian Nimmo-Smith[16]Liberal Democrats17 Jul 200327 May 2010
Sian Reid[17]Liberal Democrats27 May 201024 May 2012
Tim Bick[18]Liberal Democrats24 May 201212 Jun 2014
Lewis Herbert[19][20]Labour12 Jun 201430 Nov 2021
Anna Smith[21][22]Labour30 Nov 202125 May 2023
Mike Davey[23][24]Labour25 May 202322 May 2025
Cameron Holloway[25][26]Labour22 May 2025May 2026
Katie Thornburrow[27]Labour1 Jun 2026Present

Composition

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Following the 2026 elections, the composition of the council is:

Party Councillors
Labour 17
Green 12
Liberal Democrats 11
Conservative 1
Your Party 1
Total 42

Elections

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Since the last boundary changes came into effect in 2021, the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 14 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office. Cambridgeshire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no city council elections. The wards are:[28][29]

Premises

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The council meets at the Guildhall, on the south side of Market Square in the centre of Cambridge. The building was purpose-built for the old borough council and completed in 1939.[30] The council also has offices at Mandela House at 4 Regent Street.[31]

Banner of Arms flag used by Cambridge City Council at Cambridge Guildhall
Flag used by Cambridge City Council

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Howgego, Emma (23 May 2026). "The leaders now running Cambridgeshire's councils". BBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Veale, Andy (19 December 2020). "Former civil servant Robert Pollock appointed as city council's new chief executive". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Control of the Council". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  4. ↑ Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 4. 1835. p. 2185. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ↑ "Ceremonial maces, 1207 charter and the city's coat of arms". Cambridge City Council.
  6. ↑ "Cambridge Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "No. 39201". The London Gazette. 13 April 1951. p. 2067.
  8. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. ↑ "Greater Cambridge Local Plan". Greater Cambridge Shared Planning. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2017/251, retrieved 13 June 2023
  11. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  12. ↑ "Election maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  13. ↑ McCaul, Eoin (2 June 2026). "Cambridge City Council elects Labour leader after earlier deadlock". Cambridgeshire Live.
  14. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Cambridge" in search box to see specific results.)
  15. ↑ "Cambridge City Council Leaders since re-organisation in 1973". Cambridge Elections. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Council minutes, 17 July 2003" (PDF). Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  17. ↑ "Council minutes, 27 May 2010". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  18. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2012". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "Council minutes, 12 June 2014". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  20. ↑ "Cambridge City Council leader Lewis Herbert steps down". BBC News. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  21. ↑ "Council minutes, 30 November 2021". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  22. ↑ Gardner, Gemma (14 May 2023). "Cambridge Labour replace Anna Smith as leader with Mike Davey named successor". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  23. ↑ "Council minutes, 25 May 2023". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  24. ↑ Howgego, Emma (8 March 2025). "Council leader and deputy to stand down". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  25. ↑ Howgego, Emma (22 May 2025). "New Labour leader elected to run city council". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  26. ↑ McCaul, Eoin (8 May 2026). "Council leader warns 'no easy answers' after losing seat in election". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Shepka, Phil (2 June 2026). "City council with no majority elects Labour leader". BBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "The Cambridge (Electoral Changes) Order 2019", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2019/1123, retrieved 27 May 2024
  29. ↑ "Ward boundary review". Cambridge City Council.
  30. ↑ Historic England, "Guildhall (1268372)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 January 2018
  31. ↑ "Council offices". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 14 June 2023.

References

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