Cambridge City Council

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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 or logo
Coat of arms
Logo
Type
Type
Non-metropolitan district council
HousesUnicameral
Leadership
Leader
Lewis Herbert, Labour
Structure
Seats42 councillors[1]
Cambridge City Council Current Composition 2021.svg
Political groups
Executive
  •   Labour (27)

Opposition

Elections
First past the post
Last election
2021
Meeting place
The Guildhall, Cambridge - geograph.org.uk - 514416.jpg
Cambridge Guildhall
Website
http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/

Cambridge City Council is a district council in the county of Cambridgeshire, which governs the City of Cambridge.

History[]

Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of a mayor. The first recorded mayor, Harvey FitzEustace, did not serve until 1213. Cambridge was granted its city charter in 1951 in recognition of its history, administrative importance, and economic success. There are a number of ceremonial items used by the Council which date to different periods of history.[2]

Activities[]

The council provides various facilities and services within the city. These include parks and open spaces, waste collection, council housing and local 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. Its base is the Cambridge Guildhall, on the south side of Market Square in the centre of Cambridge.

Councillors[]

See also: 2021 Cambridge City Council election

For electoral purposes, the city is divided into 14 wards: Abbey, Arbury, Castle, Cherry Hinton, Coleridge, East Chesterton, King's Hedges, Market, Newnham, Petersfield, Queen Edith's, Romsey, Trumpington, and West Chesterton. There are 42 city councillors with three elected in each ward.

The Mayor from May 2018 was Councillor Nigel Gawthrope, who died suddenly in January 2019.[3] Councillor Gerri Bird was reaffirmed as Mayor in May 2019. The Mayor's duties are almost entirely ceremonial, although the Mayor chairs meetings of the full Council.

The Leader of the Council is Councillor Lewis Herbert (Labour), and the Deputy Leader is Councillor Anna Smith (Labour), the latter following the resignation of Kevin Price.[4]

The official opposition is Liberal Democrat, with Councillor Tim Bick leading that group and Cheney Payne being deputy leader.

The highest non-elected official is the Chief Executive. This was formerly Antoinette Jackson, who resigned in Jan 2020, leaving Sept 2020.

Elections for a third of the seats take place three out of every four years. Cambridgeshire County Council elections take place in the 4th year. The County elections last took place in 2017. Due to pending boundary changes[5] there will be an "all up" (all Councillors are up for election) election in 2021, on the same day as other local elections.

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

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ "Control of the Council". Cambridge City Council. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Ceremonial maces, 1207 charter and the city's coat of arms". Cambridge City Council.
  3. ^ Brackley, Paul (January 12, 2019). "Mayor of Cambridge Nigel Gawthrope dies suddenly while on holiday". Cambridge Independent.
  4. ^ "Deputy leader of Cambridge City Council stands down". Cambridge Independent. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Ward boundary review". Cambridge City Council.

References[]

External links[]

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