# Fenland District

Fenland is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. It was historically part of the Isle of Ely. The district covers around 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) of mostly agricultural land in the extremely flat Fens. The council is based in Fenland Hall, in March. Other towns include Chatteris, Whittlesey and Wisbech, the largest of the four.
Since 2017 the district has been a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, led by the directly-elected Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The neighbouring districts are East Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Peterborough, South Holland and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

## History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the area of six former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:
* Chatteris Urban District
* March Urban District
* North Witchford Rural District
* Wisbech Municipal Borough
* Wisbech Rural District
* Whittlesey Urban District
The new district was named Fenland, referencing its position within the Fens.

## Governance

Fenland District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Cambridgeshire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

### Political control

The council has been under Conservative control since 1999.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:
| Party in control | Years |
| No overall control | 1974–1976 |
| Conservative | 1976–1995 |
| Labour | 1995–1999 |
| Conservative | 1999–present |

### Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2014 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| John Clark | Conservative | 8 May 2014 | 22 Feb 2018 |
| Chris Seaton | Conservative | 22 Feb 2018 | 23 May 2019 |
| Chris Boden | Conservative | 23 May 2019 | |

### Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Conservative | 35 |
| | Independent | 6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 2 |
| Total | Total | 43 |
The next election is due in 2027.

### Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 43 councillors representing 18 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
In the 2019 election, twelve councillors – all Conservative – were returned unopposed to Fenland District Council, which topped the Electoral Reform Society's list of 'rotten boroughs'.

### Premises

The council is based at Fenland Hall in March. The original building had been built in 1909 as the county hall for the former Isle of Ely County Council.

## Parishes

The whole district is divided into 16 civil parishes. The parish councils for Chatteris, March, Whittlesey and Wisbech take the style "town council".
* Benwick
* Chatteris (town)
* Christchurch
* Doddington
* Elm
* Gorefield
* Leverington
* Manea
* March (town)
* Newton-in-the-Isle
* Parson Drove
* Tydd St Giles
* Whittlesey (town)
* Wimblington
* Wisbech (town)
* Wisbech St Mary

## Economy

The local economy has traditionally been built upon farming and food related industry. The food industry is now well established, and related processing, storage, packaging and distribution has become more sophisticated and diverse. The predominantly rural economy of the area also includes a strong industrial tradition, including brewing, brick making, can making, pet food production, printing and engineering, and many local residents commute outside the district to work or study. The River Nene provides access to the sea via the Port of Wisbech. Other waterways provide opportunities for angling and other water based activities. Marinas are located in Wisbech and March.
The council run markets in three of the towns (the market in Wisbech is run by Wisbech Town Council) and a number of festivals and other events.
A proposal for a new Fenland rail link was agreed in June 2020.
Fenland council gave £370,400 to its chief executive Tim Pilsbury when he took early retirement in 2010–11.

## Awareness and promotion

The term "Fen Tiger" is associated with the Fens. A flag with a tiger is now linked with this part of the county.
A number of organisations such as the Fenland Archaeological Society (FenArch) and publications such as the Fenland Citizen and The Fens magazine cover much or all of the district. The Wisbech & Fenland Museum for many years was the only museum covering the area, the district council ceased funding the museum in 2016.

## Fenland Poet Laureate

Since 2012 the Fenland Poet Laureate awards have been eligible for local poets. Fenland Poet Laureates:- 2012 Elaine Ewart; 2013 Leanne Moden, 2014 Poppy Kleiser; 2015 Jonathan Totman; 2016 Mary Livingstone; 2017 Kate Caoimhe Arthur; 2019 CJ Atkinson; 2021 Kim Allen; 2022 Qu Gao; 2024 Hannah Teasdale.

## Twin towns and sister cities

Fenland is twinned with:
* Nettetal in Kreis Viersen in Germany
* Cook County, New Zealand
* Sunshine Coast, Australia