Modernising the council to lead 'One Cambridge, Fair for All'.

In April 2024, the then government wrote to all councils in England asking them to produce a productivity plan.

Cambridge City Council’s plan sets out the:

• context that the council operates in
• actions we have taken and are taking to become a more efficient and impactful council, including smarter use of data and digital technology
• things that central government could do to help us and our partners do even more to improve the quality of life of people and communities in Cambridge

Our plan builds on the public engagement we carried out with residents in early 2023, which resulted in Cambridge Rich Picture and the State of the City report.

Local context

• As the fastest growing city economy in the UK, Cambridge is uniquely placed to support the government’s economic growth mission. Over the last 10 years, employment in Greater Cambridge has increased by 2.2% per annum in the region, compared to 1.4% in Great Britain.
• Cambridge is a globally significant innovation hub, with the city’s knowledge-based sector growing by 17% last year. There are over 5,500 knowledge-intensive businesses, which generate over £20 billion per annum, and we are known as Europe’s ‘unicorn’ capital. Our city-region is ranked first in the Global Innovation Index for the intensity of our science and technology cluster and the University of Cambridge contributes £30 billion annually to the UK economy.
• Our fast-growing economy is driven by successful partnerships between academics, business, investors and local government, and we are committed to sustainable and inclusive growth. There is an opportunity to create a place where prosperity grows hand in hand with positive social and environment benefits, and where innovation creates economic opportunity for our local communities and across the UK.
• The council is taking an ambitious approach to sustainable and inclusive economic development and place shaping. Through the Cambridge Civic Quarter project, the council is investing £30 million of its reserves to create a vibrant civic heart for all residents, regenerating the central Market Square, Corn Exchange (cultural venue) and civic buildings (Guildhall).
• We are also working collaboratively with Cambridge University and all 29 independent university Colleges to develop a multi-million pound City Centre Heat Network to provide renewable heating. In the north of the city, we are partnering with Anglian Water to develop a new net-zero district on brown field land to provide 5,600 new homes and additional commercial and research and development (R&D) space.
• The council is curating a city that is positive and progressive. Councillors have adopted a new vision, and the four key priorities set out in our corporate plan are:
  • tackling the housing crisis – the council built 330 new council homes directly in 2022/23, which was the highest number of directly delivered homes by any local authority in England, Wales and Scotland. More widely, between 2010/11 and 2020/21, Cambridge delivered 3,100 affordable homes, more than any other city in England on a per resident basis
  • climate change and biodiversity - Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) ‘A’ Score, second highest district Council in Climate Emergency UK’s ranking of all local authorities on their climate action, Gold Award from Sustainable Food Cities
  • tackling poverty and inequality through an innovative Community Wealth Building approach
  • modernising the council and providing a wide range of high-quality essential services to all those who live, work and study in Cambridge, despite the significant financial challenges facing local government across the UK. Our annual report [PDF, 0.6MB] and key performance indicators [PDF, 0.2MB] highlight a range of achievements by the council’s core services provided in 2022/23
• The council itself is reflective of the increasingly diverse population of the city. For example, our new People and Culture Strategy promotes equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), as evidence suggests this is positive for communities and workforce engagement. We have a diverse Cabinet (unusually high proportion of young and female portfolio holders) and our current mayor is the first here of South Asian descent.
• We are committed to engaging and working collaboratively with local communities to shape the future of the city. For example, our recent Cambridge Conversations engagement asked 849 residents what matters most to them. The views of residents, partners and businesses were captured in the Cambridge Rich Picture visualisation of city’s priorities.
• We are engaging residents and local stakeholders on the future of local government in Cambridge.
• The council has committed to modernising its governance arrangements to improve accountability, efficiency and community engagement.