Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Unicameral |
| Leadership | |
Leader | Lewis Herbert, Labour |
Mayor | Nigel Gawthrope, Labour |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 42 councillors |
 | |
Political groups | Executive (26)
Opposition (16)
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 3 May 2018 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Cambridge Guildhall | |
| Website | |
| http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ | |
Cambridge City Council is a district council in the county of Cambridgeshire, based in the city of Cambridge.
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 organizes numerous events throughout the year, including the Cambridge Folk Festival and a program of free summer entertainment entitled Summer in the City. It runs the Cambridge Guildhall, on the south side of the Market Square in the center of Cambridge, where various events are held.
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 forty-two city councilors with three assigned to each ward. The party composition of the council is: 26 Labour; 14 Liberal Democrat; 1 independent; and 1 Green.
The current (2018) Mayor is Councillor Nigel Gawthrope and the Deputy Mayor is Councillor Gerri Bird. The Mayor's duties are almost entirely ceremonial, although they do chair meetings of the full Council.
The Leader of the Council is Councillor Lewis Herbert (Labour), and the Deputy Leader is Councillor Kevin Price (Labour). The highest non-elected official is the Chief Executive, Antoinette Jackson.
Elections for a third of the seats take place 3 out of every 4 years. Cambridgeshire County Council elections take place in the 4th year. The County elections last took place in 2017.