Cambridgeshire County Council is the
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Australia
In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...
for
non-metropolitan county
A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government.
The non-metropolitan counties were originally created in 1974 as part of a reform of local government in England and Wales, and ...
of
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the
ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties, formally known as ''counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies'', are areas of England to which lord-lieutenant, lord-lieutenants are appointed. A lord-lieutenant is the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarch's repres ...
, which additionally includes the
City of Peterborough
The City of Peterborough, is a district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough, but also covers a wider area of o ...
. The county council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The council is based at
New Shire Hall in
Alconbury Weald, near
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...
. It is part of the
East of England Local Government Association and a constituent member of the
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Since May 2025, it has been run by a majority administration of
Liberal Democrats.
History
Cambridgeshire County Council was first formed in 1889 as a result of the
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...
as one of two county councils covering Cambridgeshire; the other was the
Isle of Ely County Council
Isle of Ely County Council was the county council of the Isle of Ely in the east of England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 1965. The county council was based at County Hall, March. It was amalgamated with C ...
. In 1965, the two councils were merged to form
Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely County Council
Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely County Council was the county council of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely in the east of England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1965 and was abolished on 1 April 1974. The county council was based at Shire Hall, C ...
.
This arrangement lasted until 1974, when, following the
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
,
Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely were merged with
Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county, administrative and Geographical counties of England, geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgesh ...
to form a new
non-metropolitan county
A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government.
The non-metropolitan counties were originally created in 1974 as part of a reform of local government in England and Wales, and ...
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
A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
, 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 mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is a combined authority mayor, first 2017 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election, elected in May 2017. The mayor is leader of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
This o ...
.
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
Cambridge City Council is the local authority for Cambridge, a non-metropolitan district with city status in the United Kingdom, city status in Cambridgeshire, England. The council has been under Labour Party (UK), Labour majority control since ...
*
East Cambridgeshire District Council
*
Fenland District Council
*
Huntingdonshire District Council
Huntingdonshire District Council is the local authority for the district of Huntingdonshire in Cambridgeshire, England. The council is based in the town of Huntingdon. The district also includes the towns of Godmanchester, Ramsey, St Ives and ...
*
South Cambridgeshire District Council
Political control
Following the
2025 Cambridgeshire County Council election the
Liberal Democrats won a majority of the council's seats.
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:
[ (Put "Cambridgeshire" in search box to see specific results.)]
Leadership
The
leaders of the council since 1997 have been:
Composition
Following the
2025 election, the composition of the council is:
The next election is due on 3 May 2029.
Premises
Until 2021, the county council had its offices and meeting place in Cambridge, being based at different times at the
Guildhall
A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...
,
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
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...
. 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
councillor
A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...
s 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
Coat of arms
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
Cam or CAM may refer to:
Science and technology
* Cam (mechanism), a mechanical linkage which translates motion
* Camshaft, a shaft with a cam
* Camera or webcam, a device that records images or video
In computing
* Computer-aided manufacturin ...
,
Great Ouse
The River Great Ouse ( ) is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the ...
and
Nene, and the two straight lines represent the many drainage ditches in
the Fens
The Fens or Fenlands in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a system o ...
. 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
Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
, representing
Peterborough
Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
, and the hunting horn is a symbol of the former county of
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...
. The birds stand on books representing the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
.
See also
*
Cambridgeshire County Council elections
*
References
External links
Cambridgeshire County Council
{{Authority control
Local government in Cambridgeshire
County Council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Australia
In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...
County councils of England
1889 establishments in England
1974 establishments in England
1965 disestablishments in England
Local education authorities in England
Local authorities in Cambridgeshire
Major precepting authorities in England
Leader and cabinet executives