Along with East Cambridgeshire and South Cambridgeshire district councils, we have backed the creation of two new unitary councils for Cambridgeshire:
- one for Greater Cambridge (Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire)
- one for North Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough)
This proposal for reorganising Cambridgeshire's seven councils (into two new councils) is known as option B. Find out more about option B.
Why local councils are being reorganised
In December 2024, the national government set out plans to move towards a new system of local government, abolishing all ‘two-tier’ areas in England. That means that the below seven Cambridgeshire councils could be replaced by a number of new unitary authorities:
- Cambridge City Council
- Cambridgeshire County Council
- East Cambridgeshire District Council
- Fenland District Council
- Huntingdonshire District Council
- Peterborough City Council
- South Cambridgeshire District Council
When the change is made from April 2028, rather than dealing with separate county, city, and district councils, residents will access all services from one new unitary council for their area - from road maintenance and bin collections to education, planning, social housing, social care, and support with benefits.
Where areas have parish and town councils, these will not be affected and will continue to operate as they do now.
When change will happen
The government will make the final decision on which option is selected, and it is expected they will announce the outcome in summer 2026.
New councils are expected to operate in a shadow capacity from May 2027, before full implementation in April 2028, known as ‘vesting day’.
Hearing from local people
Spring 2026
The government will soon be consulting on the four proposals submitted by Cambridgeshire's councils. We will provide a link to the consultation once it is live in February 2026.
Autumn 2025
Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District councils ran a joint survey about the future of Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire councils in September and October about the preferred option (option B).
More than two thirds of respondents, 69%, supported a new unitary council for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. You can read the report, or read our highlights.
Summer 2025
Following the government announcing in December 2024 its plans for local government reorganisation, local councils were asked to explore options and engage with local people.
The seven Cambridgeshire councils ran a joint survey in June and July 2025 asking residents for general feedback about local government and their future priorities.
View the three reports produced following this survey, or read the highlights.
Summer 2024
Prior to national government setting out in December 2024 its plans for local government reorganisation, a motion was approved at Full Council in October 2023 calling on the council to consider whether current local government arrangements are the most appropriate form of governance for Cambridge.
This led to a public engagement exercise taking place during summer 2024. You can read the report, or read our highlights.
