page_title: Houghton, Cambridgeshire
section_title: Government
hierarchical_section_title: Houghton, Cambridgeshire / Government
caption_attribution_description: English: Signpost in Houghton &amp; Wyton
context_page_description: Houghton is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. Houghton lies approximately 3 miles east of Huntingdon on the A1123 road, and not far south of RAF Wyton. This village lies on the north bank of the River Great Ouse, where Houghton Mill is located.
  Houghton is in the civil parish of Houghton and Wyton. Houghton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England. Houghton was named one of the "Best Places to Live in the east" by The Sunday Times in 2016.
context_section_description: Houghton is part of the civil parish of Houghton and Wyton, which has a parish council. The parish council is elected by the residents of the parish who have registered on the electoral roll; the parish council is the lowest tier of government in England. 
   A parish council is responsible for providing and maintaining a variety of local services including allotments and a cemetery; grass cutting and tree planting within public open spaces such as a village green or playing fields. The parish council reviews all planning applications that might affect the parish and makes recommendations to Huntingdonshire District Council, which is the local planning authority for the parish. The parish council also represents the views of the parish on issues such as local transport, policing and the environment. The parish council raises its own tax to pay for these services, known as the parish precept, which is collected as part of the Council Tax.  The parish council has nine councillors and meets approximately every two weeks through the year.
  Houghton was in the historic and administrative county of Huntingdonshire until 1965. From 1965, the village was part of the new administrative county of Huntingdon and Peterborough. Then in 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972, Houghton became a part of the county of Cambridgeshire.
  The second tier of local government is Huntingdonshire District Council which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and has its headquarters in Huntingdon. Huntingdonshire District Council has 52 councillors representing 29 district wards. Huntingdonshire District Council collects the council tax, and provides services such as building regulations, local planning, environmental health, leisure and tourism. Houghton is a part of the district ward of The Hemingfords and is represented on the district council by two councillors. District councillors serve for four-year terms following elections to Huntingdonshire District Council.
  For Houghton the highest tier of local government is Cambridgeshire County Council which has administration buildings in Cambridge. The county council provides county-wide services such as major road infrastructure, fire and rescue, education, social services, libraries and heritage services. Cambridgeshire County Council consists of 69 councillors representing 60 electoral divisions. Houghton is part of the electoral division of The Hemingfords and Fen Stanton and is represented on the county council by one councillor.
  At Westminster Houghton is in the parliamentary constituency of Huntingdon, and elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. Houghton is represented in the House of Commons by Jonathan Djanogly (Conservative). Jonathan Djanogly has represented the constituency since 2001. The previous member of parliament was John Major (Conservative) who represented the constituency between 1983 and 2001.
caption: Signpost in Houghton & Wyton
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