# Cambridgeshire County Council

Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council for non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes the City of Peterborough. The county council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The council is based at New Shire Hall in Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon. It is part of the East of England Local Government Association and a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Since May 2021, it has been run by a joint administration of the Liberal Democrats, Labour Party, and independent groups.

## History

Cambridgeshire County Council was first formed in 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888 as one of two county councils covering Cambridgeshire; the other was the Isle of Ely County Council. In 1965, the two councils were merged to form Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely County Council.
This arrangement lasted until 1974, when, following the Local Government Act 1972, Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely were merged with Huntingdon and Peterborough to form a new non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire under the control of a newly constituted Cambridgeshire County Council. The first elections to the new authority were in April 1973, and the council took office on 1 April 1974.
From its re-creation in 1974 until 1998, the county council administered the entire county of Cambridgeshire. In 1998, Peterborough City Council became a unitary authority, thus outside the area of the county council. For ceremonial, geographic, and certain administrative purposes, however, Peterborough continues to be associated with and work in collaboration with Cambridgeshire County Council. Since 2017, the council has been a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, led by the directly-elected Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The council is responsible for public services such as education, transport, highways, heritage, social care, libraries, trading standards, and waste management.

## District councils

The county council is the upper-tier of local government, below which are five councils with responsibility for local services such as housing, planning applications, licensing, council tax collection and rubbish collection. The districts of Cambridgeshire are:
* Cambridge City Council
* East Cambridgeshire District Council
* Fenland District Council
* Huntingdonshire District Council
* South Cambridgeshire District Council

## Political control

Following the 2021 Cambridgeshire County Council election a joint administration formed comprising the Liberal Democrats, Labour, and independent councillors.
Political control of the county council since the reforms of the Local Government Act 1972 took effect on 1 April 1974 has been as follows:
| Party in control | Years |
| No overall control | 1974–1977 |
| Conservative | 1977–1985 |
| No overall control | 1985–1989 |
| Conservative | 1989–1993 |
| No overall control | 1993–1997 |
| Conservative | 1997–2013 |
| No overall control | 2013–2017 |
| Conservative | 2017–2021 |
| No overall control | 2021–present |

### Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1997 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Keith Walters | Conservative | 1997 | 15 May 2007 |
| Shona Johnston | Conservative | 15 May 2007 | 12 Nov 2007 |
| Keith Walters | Conservative | 11 Dec 2007 | May 2008 |
| Jill Tuck | Conservative | 13 May 2008 | May 2011 |
| Nick Clarke | Conservative | 17 May 2011 | 5 May 2013 |
| Martin Curtis | Conservative | 21 May 2013 | 13 May 2014 |
| Steve Count | Conservative | 13 May 2014 | 18 May 2021 |
| Lucy Nethsingha | Liberal Democrats | 18 May 2021 | |

### Composition

Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to Feb 2025, the composition of the council is:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Liberal Democrats | 23 |
| | Conservative | 21 |
| | Labour | 10 |
| | Independent | 6 |
| | St Neots Independent Group | 1 |
| Total | Total | 61 |
Two of the independent councillors sit together as a group, the other four are not aligned to any group. The next election is due on 1 May 2025.

## Premises

Until 2021, the county council had its offices and meeting place in Cambridge, being based at different times at the Guildhall, County Hall, and Shire Hall.
In 2021 the council vacated Shire Hall and left Cambridge, moving to New Shire Hall at Alconbury Weald in the parish of The Stukeleys, north-west of Huntingdon. The first committee meeting to be held at New Shire Hall was in September 2021. An official opening ceremony for New Shire Hall was held on 8 July 2022.

## Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2017, the council has comprised 61 councillors representing 59 electoral divisions, with most divisions electing one councillor but two divisions (March North & Waldersley and Sawston & Shelford) elect two councillors each. Elections are held every four years.

### Councillors and electoral divisions

| Electoral Division | Parishes | Councillor | Party |
| Abbey | Abbey | Alex Bulat | Labour |
| Alconbury and Kimbolton | Alconbury, Alconbury Weston, Barham & Woolley, Brington & Molesworth, Buckworth, Bythorn & Keyston, Catworth, Covington, Easton, Ellington, Great Gidding, Great Staughton, Hail Weston, Hamerton & Steeple Gidding, Kimbolton, Leighton, Little Gidding, Old Weston, Perry, Spaldwick, Stow Longa, Tilbrook, Upton & Coppingford and Winwick | Ian Gardener | Conservative |
| Arbury | Arbury | Hilary Condron | Labour |
| Bar Hill | Bar Hill, Boxworth, Dry Drayton, Girton, Lolworth | Edna Murphy | Liberal Democrats |
| Brampton and Buckden | Brampton, Buckden, Diddington, Grafham, Offord Cluny & Offord D’Arcy and Southoe & Midloe | Ken Billington | Conservative |
| Burwell | Burwell, Reach, Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham Prior | Josh Schumann | Independent |
| Cambourne | Bourn, Cambourne, Caxton, Little Gransden and Longstowe | Mark Howell | Conservative |
| Castle | Castle | Catherine Rae | Labour |
| Chatteris | Chatteris | Anne Hay | Conservative |
| Cherry Hinton | Cherry Hinton | Bryony Goodliffe | Labour |
| Chesterton | Chesterton | Gerri Bird | Labour |
| Cottenham and Willingham | Cottenham, Rampton and Willingham | Neil Gough | Liberal Democrats |
| Duxford | Babraham, Duxford, Fowlmere, Great Abington, Hinxton, Ickleton, Little Abington, Pampisford, Thriplow, Whittlesford | Peter McDonald | Liberal Democrat |
| Ely North | Ely | Alison Whelan | Liberal Democrat |
| Ely South | Ely, Stuntney | Piers Coutts | Liberal Democrats |
| Fulbourn | Fen Ditton, Fulbourn, Great Wilbraham, Horningsea, Little Wilbraham, Stow cum Quy, Teversham | Claire Daunton | Liberal Democrat |
| Gamlingay | Arrington, Barrington, Croydon, Gamlingay, Guilden Morden, Steeple Morden, Tadlow, Hatley, Shingay-cum-Wendy, Abington Pigotts, Litlington Orwell, Wimpole | Sebastian Kindersley | Liberal Democrat |
| Godmanchester and Huntingdon South | | Graham Wilson | Liberal Democrat |
| Hardwick | Barton, Caldecote, Childerley, Comberton, Coton, Grantchester, Hardwick, Kingston, Madingley, Toft | Michael Atkins | Liberal Democrat |
| Histon and Impington | | Ros Hathorn | Liberal Democrat |
| Huntingdon North and Hartford | | Jonas King | Independent |
| Huntingdon West | | Tom Sanderson | Independent |
| King's Hedges | King's Hedges | Elisa Meschini | Labour |
| Linton | Balsham, Bartlow, Carlton, Castle Camps, Hildersham, Horseheath, Linton, Shudy Camps, West Wickham, West Wratting, Weston Colville | Henry Batchelor | Liberal Democrat |
| Littleport | Littleport | David Ambrose Smith | Conservative |
| Longstanton, Northstowe and Over | | Firouz Thompson | Liberal Democrats |
| March North and Waldersey | March | Steve Count | Conservative |
| March North and Waldersey | March | Janet French | Conservative |
| March South and Rural | Benwick, March | John Gowling | Conservative |
| Market | Market | Nick Gay | Labour |
| Melbourn & Bassingbourn | Foxton, Great and Little Chishill, Heydon, Melbourn, Meldreth, Shepreth | Susan van de Ven | Liberal Democrat |
| Newnham | Newnham | Lucy Nethsingha | Liberal Democrat |
| Papworth and Swavesey | Conington (S), Croxton, Elsworth, Eltisley, Fen Drayton, Graveley, Knapwell, Papworth Everard, Papworth St Agnes, Swavesey | Mandy Smith | Conservative |
| Petersfield | Petersfield | Richard Howitt | Labour |
| Queen Edith's | Queen Edith's | Alex Beckett | Liberal Democrat |
| Ramsey and Bury | Ramsey | Adela Costello | Conservative |
| Roman Bank and Peckover | Gorefield, Leverington, Newton (F), Tydd St Giles, Wisbech | Simon King | Conservative |
| Romsey | Romsey | Neil Shailer | Labour |
| Sawston and Shelford | Great Shelford, Harston, Hauxton, Little Shelford, Newton (S), Sawston, Stapleford | Brian Milnes | Liberal Democrat |
| Sawston and Shelford | Great Shelford, Harston, Hauxton, Little Shelford, Newton (S), Sawston, Stapleford | Maria King | Liberal Democrat |
| Sawtry and Stilton | Barham and Woolley, Brington and Molesworth, Buckworth, Bythorn and Keyston, Catworth, Conington (H), Easton, Ellington, Glatton, Great Gidding, Hamerton, Leighton, Little Gidding, Old Weston, Sawtry, Spaldwick, Steeple Gidding, Stow Longa, Upton and Coppingford, Winwick | Simon Bywater | Conservative |
| Soham North and Isleham | Chippenham, Fordham, Isleham, Kennett, Snailwell, Soham, Wicken | Mark Goldsack | Conservative |
| Soham South and Haddenham | | Dan Schumann | Conservative |
| Somersham and Earith | Bluntisham, Broughton, Colne, Earith, Old Hurst, Pidley cum Fenton, Somersham, Woodhurst | Steve Criswell | Conservative |
| St Ives North and Wyton | Holywell-cum-Needingworth, St Ives | Ryan Fuller | Conservative |
| St Ives South and Needingworth | | Kevin Reynolds | Conservative |
| St Neots East and Gransden | St Neots | Stephen Ferguson | Independent |
| St Neots Eynesbury | | Simone Taylor | Independent |
| St Neots Priory Park and Little Paxton | | Keith Prentice | Independent |
| St Neots The Eatons | | Geoff Seeff | Liberal Democrat |
| Sutton | Coveney, Downham, Mepal, Sutton, Wentworth, Witcham, Witchford | Lorna Dupré | Liberal Democrat |
| The Hemingfords & Fenstanton | Fenstanton, Hemingford Abbots, Hemingford Grey, Hilton, Houghton and Wyton | Douglas Dew | Liberal Democrat |
| Trumpington | | Philippa Slatter | Liberal Democrat |
| Warboys & the Stukeleys | Abbots Ripton, Bury, Houghton and Wyton, Kings Ripton, Upwood and the Raveleys, Warboys, Wistow, Wood Walton | Steve Cortney | Conservative |
| Waterbeach | Landbeach, Milton, Waterbeach | Anna Bradnam | Liberal Democrat |
| Whittlesey North | Whittlesey | Chris Boden | Conservative |
| Whittlesey South | Whittlesey | David Connor | Conservative |
| Wisbech East | Wisbech | Samantha Hoy | Conservative |
| Wisbech West | Wisbech | Steven Tierney | Conservative |
| Woodditton | Ashley, Bottisham, Brinkley, Burrough Green, Cheveley, Dullingham, Kirtling, Lode, Stetchworth, Westley Waterless, Woodditton | Alan Sharp | Conservative |
| Yaxley and Farcet | Yaxley | Andrew Wood | Liberal Democrat |

## Coat of arms

Coat of arms of Cambridgeshire County Council :
* NotesGranted on 1 November 1976.
* EscutcheonOr three Palets wavy alternating with two Palets Azure a Bordure Gules flory on the inner edge Or; the Shield ensigned by a Mural Crown Or.
* SupportersOn either side a Great Bustard proper the exterior leg resting on a closed Book Gules garnished Or pendent from the neck of the dexter by a Cord Argent two keys in saltire wards uppermost uppermost and outwards Gules and from the neck of the sinister by a like Cord a Hunting Horn mouth to the dexter Or.
* MottoCorde uno sapientes simus (With one heart let us be men and women of understanding.)
* BadgeWithin an Annulet ensigned by a Coronet a Bar Or between two Bars wavy Azure.
The council was granted a coat of arms on 1 November 1976. The three wavy blue lines represent the county's three main rivers of the Cam, Great Ouse and Nene, and the two straight lines represent the many drainage ditches in the Fens. Other parts of the design represent different parts of the county and the council's predecessors: the supporters are great bustards, birds which were formerly common in the Fens, the crossed keys are a symbol of Saint Peter, representing Peterborough, and the hunting horn is a symbol of the former county of Huntingdonshire. The birds stand on books representing the University of Cambridge.