Approved at the Council meeting, 24 July 2025. 

This Council notes

Cambridge is served by two tiers of local government – Cambridge City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council. Each provides different services over different geographies, with some overlapping responsibilities. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority also serves this area, as does the Greater Cambridge Partnership.   

Unitary authorities combine the functions currently carried out by county councils and district-level councils.   

On 19 October 2023, Cambridge City Council passed a motion on ‘A Unitary Council’, asking the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council to:   

“… initiate discussions… to identify options for a less fragmented and more cohesive model of Government for Cambridge, that best serves the needs of its residents. These discussions should involve and engage with the people of the city in a meaningful way, thereby recognising the need for our governance structures to reflect the wishes of the people we serve.”   

In summer 2024, Cambridge City Council carried out an initial engagement exercise on the Future of Local Government for Cambridge. Around 60 people attended in-person workshops and over 500 people responded to the online survey. Nearly 83% of respondents thought that a unitary authority for the Cambridge area should be explored.   

A report on the Future of Local Government engagement exercise was considered at Full Council on 28 November 2024. Councillors agreed that the Leader should report back about next steps in summer 2025, following discussions with other local leaders and ministers.   

In December 2024, the Government announced that local government in England would be reorganised, inviting proposals for new unitary councils from all two-tier areas. On the current timetable, new unitary councils for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough would come into being in 2028.   

Since the Government’s announcement, all seven existing councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have engaged in a collaborative process to explore options for local government reorganisation.   

Leaders have set out three geographical options for proposals to be worked up.   

A public survey on issues relating to local government reorganisation, agreed by all councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, is running for just over one month, closing on 20 July.  

The Local Government Reorganisation item in these meeting papers sets out the current situation, including relevant data and context for deciding which geographical configuration of unitary councils might be most appropriate for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.  

This Council believes

• That a unitary authority based on the current boundaries of Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, alongside viable arrangements for the rest of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, is likely to be the best option for the residents of Cambridge.

This Council resolves

• To work with other local authorities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough on a proposal for the whole area that can be submitted to the Government by 28 November 2025.

• To continue to collaborate with all councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, including providing information to support proposals that are not its preferred option.

• To launch a further engagement exercise to better understand Cambridge residents’ views on their preferred geography for local government reorganisation.