News release
Monday 15 September 2025
Leaders call for views on unitary council for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire
The leaders of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District councils are making the case for a new unitary council for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire and have today launched a survey to ask for local views.
The survey runs until 11:59pm on Sunday 12 October and also asks for suggestions for a name for the new council if it goes ahead. Take the survey on either council’s engagement platform:
Leaders support a unitary council for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire alongside a new unitary council for East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire and Peterborough. This is known as ‘Option B’ in the three options shortlisted by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough councils in June.
The Leader of Cambridge City Council, Cllr Cameron Holloway, said: “We know that many residents see the current two-tier local government arrangements for our area as confusing and inefficient. We now have the chance to simplify matters: all areas with two tiers of local government are being asked to reorganise into ‘unitary’ councils, which combine all local government functions in one authority. Earlier in the year, council leaders set out three options for the geographical configuration of new councils in our area: Options A, B and C. I believe that Option B is the best option for local residents.
“A unitary council combining Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire would work best for our area: it has a coherent identity; the two councils already share several services, such as planning and waste collection; ours are the only two council-house-owning authorities in the county; and a single council for our fast-growing city and its surrounding area would help to streamline governance and enable us to better manage the pressures that come with growth.
“A larger northern council would provide financial resilience and economies of scale, but could offer locally specific services to support the differing needs of communities across the area.”
The Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Bridget Smith, said: “Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire are already joined together in lots of ways, particularly with the unique geography which sees Cambridge surrounded by South Cambridgeshire’s towns and villages on all sides. We share an award-winning planning service and we’re working on a shared Local Plan which will ensure desperately needed new homes are built in a planned way with the right supporting facilities also being built at the right time.
“Meanwhile, 80% of working residents would both live and work in the new unitary area. For example, many of you living in Cambridge head into South Cambridgeshire when you get a train from Cambridge North, use Trumpington Park and Ride or for weekend walks in the countryside. Many of you living in South Cambridgeshire travel into Cambridge to work, use sports and leisure services, or for a day at the shops. In many ways, a new single council covering Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire just formalises what already happens.”
During a joint survey for all the local authorities during the summer, residents and business gave councils a strong message that they will support reorganisation if it achieves tangible benefits for them.
Regardless of which option you prefer in future there will be:
- One council to contact: Today, most residents must work out whether the County Council or their city or district council is responsible for potholes, bins or social care. In future, whatever option is chosen by national Government, you’ll have one council to contact for all local services, making it easier to get help and hold leaders to account.
- Money saved, better frontline services: By merging seven councils into two, duplication is cut, and money can be saved. That could mean more funds available for fixing potholes, cleaner streets and better support for families and older residents.
There is no easy way to create two new councils that reflect the diverse rural and urban identities of Cambridgeshire. The leaders of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District councils believe ‘Option B’ is better than the other options because:
- It creates two councils with similar size economies and distinct strengths: a ‘southern council’, for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, Europe’s leading science and technology hub, and a large and diverse ‘economic powerhouse’ in the north for Peterborough, Huntingdonshire, Fenland and East Cambridgeshire.
- Jobs and opportunities are closer to home: three quarters of all residents that work would live and work in the council area where they reside. And because each council has distinct but complementary economic strengths, they can each focus on attracting the investment their areas need to ensure residents can find good jobs and affordable homes locally.
- Public services are better: a larger council in the north can use its scale to drive efficiencies as well as localise service provision to meet diverse community needs. The smaller southern council area already has many joint services and, uniquely, 1 in 10 homes are council-owned, enabling closer integration with health services and social care.
- It’s more financially sustainable and fairer: resources are split most fairly, which is better value for money and minimises the impact on council tax payers. As a result, both new councils are in the best position to meet the different needs of their residents and residents of all parts of Cambridgeshire.
- It respects historic identities: the ‘southern council’ aligns closely with the old administrative county of Cambridgeshire, whilst the ‘northern council’ would respect the historic identities of the Isle of Ely and the former county of Huntingdonshire, and would not cut Fen communities in half.
Timeline for Local Government Reorganisation
National Government outlined plans in late 2024 to disband existing district, city and county councils in order to create new ‘unitary’ councils from April 2028. That would mean an end to the seven district, city and county councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and replacing them with fewer unitary councils. Each new unitary council would provide all council services in the areas they serve, in contrast to the current model where Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire residents are served by either the city or district council and the County Council.
The Government will ultimately decide what new unitary councils to create. Before Government makes that decision, the seven Cambridgeshire councils have been asked to explore possible options and submit proposals to Government before the end of November 2025.
Cambridgeshire County Council is leading on the proposal for option A; Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council are working with all other councils on Option B; and Huntingdonshire District Council is leading on the proposal for Option C.
A survey was run jointly by all seven councils during summer this year, asking residents for general feedback about local government and their future priorities. This survey is seeking to gather feedback about residents’ preferred geographical option for new unitary councils in our area.
Take the survey
You can now have your say on whether you support a unitary council for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. The surveys linked below are identical and people only need to respond once on their preferred platform, before the survey closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 12 October.
- Cambridge survey: For Cambridge respondents who would prefer to complete a paper survey, please email communications@cambridge.gov.uk or call 01223 457 000.
- South Cambridgeshire survey: For South Cambridgeshire respondents who would prefer to complete a paper survey, please email communications@scambs.gov.uk or call 01954 713 000.
A public focus group will also be held to further explore Option B – further information is available via each council’s website mentioned above.
At Cambridge City Council’s Full Council meeting on Thursday 24 July, Councillors passed a motion outlining how 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. The most recent report on local government reorganisation discussed by South Cambridgeshire District Councillors was debated at a Full Council meeting on Thursday 17 July 2025. At that meeting, the Leader, Cllr Bridget Smith told District Councillors that her administration would be promoting a new unitary council covering Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire. Meanwhile, this summer the two leaders wrote an open letter on this topic.
Responses to the Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire survey will be used to feed into the proposals being developed by the councils – which will be discussed at Full Council meetings before they must be submitted to Government in November. There will then be further consultation, before Government ultimately makes a final decision. New councils are expected to operate in a shadow capacity from May 2027 before full implementation in April 2028, known as ‘vesting day’.