Cambridge City Council

District council in the county of Cambridgeshire, England

This article is about the city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. For other uses, see Cambridge City Council (disambiguation).

Cambridge City Council

Coat of arms

Type
Type|

Non-metropolitan district

Leadership

Mayor

Dinah Pounds,
Labour
since 22 May 2025[1]

Leader

Cameron Holloway,
Labour
since 22 May 2025

Chief Executive

Robert Pollock
since April 2021[2]

Structure
Seats| 42 councillors[3]

Political groups

Administration (24)
Labour (24)
Other parties (18)
Liberal Democrats (12)
Green (5)
Conservative (1)
Elections

Voting system

| First past the post

Last election

| 2 May 2024

Next election

| 7 May 2026
Meeting place
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 Labour majority control since 2014. It meets at Cambridge Guildhall. The council is a member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

## History

[edit]

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

[edit]

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. County-level services are provided by Cambridgeshire County Council.[11] There are no civil parishes in Cambridge; the entire district is an unparished area.[12]

### Political control

[edit]

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2014.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:[13]

Party in control | Years

|

| Labour | 1974–1976
| Conservative | 1976–1979
| No overall control | 1979–1986
| Labour | 1986–1987
| No overall control | 1987–1988
| Labour | 1988–1992
| No overall control | 1992–1996
| Labour | 1996–1998
| No overall control | 1998–2000
| Liberal Democrats | 2000–2012
| No overall control | 2012–2014
| Labour | 2014–present

### Leadership

[edit]

See also: List of mayors of Cambridge

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:[14]

Councillor | Party | From | To

|
|
|

Peter Wright |  | Labour | Apr 1974 | May 1976
John Powley |  | Conservative | May 1976 | May 1979
Chris Gough-Goodman |  | Conservative | May 1979 | May 1980
Peter Wright |  | Labour | May 1980 | May 1982
Chris Howard |  | Labour | May 1982 | May 1987
Mark Todd |  | Labour | May 1987 | May 1990
Simon Sedgwick-Jell |  | Labour | May 1990 | Oct 1994
Kevin Southernwood |  | Labour | Oct 1994 | Feb 1999
Ruth Bagnall |  | Labour | Feb 1999 | May 2000
David Howarth[15] |  | Liberal Democrats | May 2000 | 17 Jul 2003
Ian Nimmo-Smith[15] |  | Liberal Democrats | 17 Jul 2003 | 27 May 2010
Sian Reid[16] |  | Liberal Democrats | 27 May 2010 | 24 May 2012
Tim Bick[17] |  | Liberal Democrats | 24 May 2012 | 12 Jun 2014
Lewis Herbert[18][19] |  | Labour | 12 Jun 2014 | 30 Nov 2021
Anna Smith[20][21] |  | Labour | 30 Nov 2021 | 25 May 2023
Mike Davey[22][23] |  | Labour | 25 May 2023 | May 2025
Cameron Holloway[1] |  | Labour | 22 May 2025 |

### Composition

[edit]

Following the 2024 election,[24] and subsequent by-elections up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[25]

Party  | Councillors

|

| Labour | 24
| Liberal Democrats | 12
| Green | 5
| Conservative | 1
Total  | 42

The next election is due in 2026.[25]

## Elections

[edit]

See also: Cambridge City Council elections

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:[26][27]

* Abbey
* Arbury
* Castle
* Cherry Hinton
* Coleridge
* East Chesterton
* King's Hedges
* Market
* Newnham
* Petersfield
* Queen Edith's
* Romsey
* Trumpington
* West Chesterton

## Premises

[edit]

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.[28] The council also has offices at Mandela House at 4 Regent Street.[29]

Flag used by Cambridge City Council

## See also

[edit]

* Cambridgeshire County Council
* List of mayors of Cambridge

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b Howgego, Emma (22 May 2025). "New Labour leader elected to run city council". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
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. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Cambridge" in search box to see specific results.)
14. ^ "Cambridge City Council Leaders since re-organisation in 1973". Cambridge Elections. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
15. ^ a b "Council minutes, 17 July 2003" (PDF). Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
16. ^ "Council minutes, 27 May 2010". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
17. ^ "Council minutes, 24 May 2012". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
18. ^ "Council minutes, 12 June 2014". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
19. ^ "Cambridge City Council leader Lewis Herbert steps down". BBC News. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
20. ^ "Council minutes, 30 November 2021". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
21. ^ Gardner, Gemma (14 May 2023). "Cambridge Labour replace Anna Smith as leader with Mike Davey named successor". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
22. ^ "Council minutes, 25 May 2023". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
23. ^ Howgego, Emma (8 March 2025). "Council leader and deputy to stand down". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
24. ^ "Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England". The Guardian. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
25. ^ a b "Cambridge". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
26. ^ "The Cambridge (Electoral Changes) Order 2019", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2019/1123, retrieved 27 May 2024
27. ^ "Ward boundary review". Cambridge City Council.
28. ^ Historic England, "Guildhall (1268372)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 January 2018
29. ^ "Council offices". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 14 June 2023.

## References

[edit]

* Cambridge City Council
* Cambridge Mayor's Office
* Cambridge City Election Results since 1945

## External links

[edit]

* Open data about Cambridge City Council on OpenlyLocal
* Cambridge City Council YouTube channel

* v
* t
* e

Electoral wards of Cambridge City Council

Current wards|

* Abbey
* Arbury
* Castle
* Cherry Hinton
* Coleridge
* East Chesterton
* King's Hedges
* Market
* Newnham
* Petersfield
* Queen Ediths
* Romsey
* Trumpington
* West Chesterton

* v
* t
* e

Local authorities in Cambridgeshire

County council and unitary|

* Cambridgeshire
* Peterborough

District councils|

* Cambridge
* East Cambridgeshire
* Fenland
* Huntingdonshire
* South Cambridgeshire

Parish councils|

* Ely
* Wisbech

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI

Other|

* Yale LUX

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