Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council is a district council in the county of Cambridgeshire, which governs the City of Cambridge.
Cambridge City Council | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Unicameral |
| Leadership | |
Leader | Lewis Herbert, Labour |
Mayor | Nigel Gawthrope (died Jan 2019), Labour |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 42 councillors |
 | |
Political groups | Executive (26)
Opposition (16)
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 2019 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Cambridge Guildhall | |
| Website | |
| http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ | |
History
Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of a mayor. The first recorded mayor, Harvey FitzEustace, did not serve until 1213. Cambridge was granted its city charter in 1951 in recognition of its history, administrative importance, and economic success. There are a number of ceremonial items used by the Council which date to different periods of history.[1]
Activities
The council provides various facilities and services within the city. These include parks and open spaces, waste collection, council housing and local planning.
The Council also organises numerous events throughout the year, including the Cambridge Folk Festival and a programme of free summer entertainment entitled Summer in the City. Its base is the Cambridge Guildhall, on the south side of Market Square in the centre of Cambridge.
Councillors
For electoral purposes, the city is divided into 14 wards: Abbey, Arbury, Castle, Cherry Hinton, Coleridge, East Chesterton, King's Hedges, Market, Newnham, Petersfield, Queen Edith's, Romsey, Trumpington, and West Chesterton. There are 42 city councillors with three elected in each ward.
The Mayor from May 2018 was Councillor Nigel Gawthrope, who died suddenly in January 2019.[2] Councillor Gerri Bird was reaffirmed as Mayor in May 2019. The Mayor's duties are almost entirely ceremonial, although the Mayor chairs meetings of the full Council.
The Leader of the Council is Councillor Lewis Herbert (Labour), and the Deputy Leader is Councillor Anna Smith (Labour), the latter following the resignation of Kevin Price.[3]
The official opposition is Liberal Democrat, with Councillor Tim Bick leading that group and Cheney Payne being deputy leader.
The highest non-elected official is the Chief Executive. This was formerly Antoinette Jackson, who resigned in Jan 2020, leaving Sept 2020.
Elections for a third of the seats take place three out of every four years. Cambridgeshire County Council elections take place in the 4th year. The County elections last took place in 2017. Due to pending boundary changes[4] there will be an "all up" (all Councillors are up for election) election in 2020.
See also
Notes
- "Ceremonial maces, 1207 charter and the city's coat of arms". Cambridge City Council.
- Brackley, Paul (January 12, 2019). "Mayor of Cambridge Nigel Gawthrope dies suddenly while on holiday". Cambridge Independent.
- "Deputy leader of Cambridge City Council stands down". Cambridge Independent. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Ward boundary review". Cambridge City Council.