Councils and Councillors

Local government can look confusing – both from the outside and the inside. In and around Cambridge, we have two councils – Cambridge City and Cambridgshire County – as well as the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority led by a Mayor and a Cambridgeshire Police & Crime Commissioner. On top of that, you may come across organisations such as Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Services, Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Services, or the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP). Parts of South Trumpington are part of South Cambridgeshire District Council (see below).

Here, we provide a brief overview of the local councils and the role of councillors.

Local councillors are often the first point of contact when something goes wrong in a neighbourhood, and they are often the only politicians that residents ever meet in person. While individual councillors do not have direct decision-making powers, they play a key role – often behind the scenes – in shaping and scrutinising the decisions that affect the whole city.

City Council vs County Council – who does what?

One of the main sources of confusion is that two different councils are responsible for different services.

Cambridge City Council looks after:

Parks and open spaces (including playgrounds)
Council housing
Local planning applications
Waste collection
Certain types of antisocial behaviour (e.g. fly-tipping)
Community centres and public swimming pools
Environmental health

Cambridgeshire County Council is responsible for:

Social care (e.g. vulnerable adults and children)
Roads, pavements, and street lighting
Education (e.g. schools)
Transport
Large scale planning applications (e.g waste recycling plants)
Waste disposal

It is worth noting that a City Council is a special case of a District Council. For example, South Cambridgeshire District Council performs a similar role to Cambridge City Council for the area surrounding the city.

Cambridge is divided into wards (City Council) and divisions (County Council). Each ward is represented by three City Councillors, and each division by one County Councillor.

You can find more information about your Councillors on the corresponding Council websites (Cambridge City, Cambridgeshire County, South Cambridgeshire District).

To add another layer of complexity, ward and division boundaries often divide neighbourhoods. For example, part of Trumpington is in South Cambridgeshire District Council, while most of the village pays its council tax to Cambridge City. This means that residents report potholes to the same County Council, but may need to contact different District Councils for issues such as playground maintenance.

Cambridge does not have parishes, but the south-western part of Trumpington does have a parish meeting, which collects a ‘precept’ alongside the other council taxes, and residents can decide how to spend it.

This complexity is one of the reasons behind the planned Local Government Reorganisation, which is expected to come into effect from 2028.

How the councils are run

Cambridge City Council operates under the Cabinet model. This means that while all councillors are elected to represent their wards, a smaller group – the Cabinet – makes most of the key decisions.

Cabinet members each have specific responsibilities (for example housing or environment) and work closely with council officers, who are responsible for the day-to-day operation of council services. Other councillors play an important role in scrutinising decisions, raising concerns, and ensuring that residents’ voices are heard.

Cambridgeshire County Council operates under a committee system, where some decisions are made through committees such as Adults and Health, Children and Young People, and Highways and Transport. These committees reflect the political composition of the Council and are responsible for most major policy decisions.

What does a councillor do?

At its core, being a councillor is about shaping council policies in the interests of residents and helping to resolve local issues.

A big part of the role is acting as a link between residents and the Council – making sure concerns are heard, passed on, and followed up.

However, it is important to be clear: councillors do not have the power to tell council officers what to do, and they cannot directly instruct the police or other services. Much of the role involves persistence – chasing, influencing, and advocating on behalf of residents.

In practice, councillors are involved in:

Attending council meetings and contributing to debates and decisions
Helping residents with issues such as housing, antisocial behaviour, or local services
Following up problems with the relevant council or organisation
Working with community groups, the police, and council officers

Scrutiny – the work you don’t always see

A major part of a councillor’s role happens behind the scenes and is often not very visible: scrutinising council policies and decisions.

This involves:

Reading and reviewing detailed reports
Discussing proposals with council officers
Raising concerns and suggesting changes
Debating decisions in council meetings

At the City Council, there are dedicated Overview and Scrutiny Committees, where specific areas (such as housing, environment, or finance) are examined in more detail. These meetings are an important way of holding decision-makers to account and ensuring that policies are properly tested before and after they are implemented. Different committees also exist at the County Council.

Agendas are published on the Council’s website, and meetings can be watched on YouTube (Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire).

Is it a full-time job?

This is where there is often some confusion.

Being a councillor is not a salaried job. Councillors receive an allowance to compensate for their time, but they are not employees of the Council. Most councillors have full- or part-time jobs or other commitments alongside their council duties.

Councillors also do not have staff or personal assistants – they handle all their casework themselves, often in the evenings and at weekends. They also do not have the power to tell officers what to do or how money should be spent – they can only advise. Operational decisions are made by council officers in the first instance.

The role can be demanding. Residents quite rightly expect quick responses and real progress, and councillors deal with a wide range of issues, often involving multiple organisations and complex processes.

At the same time, councillors do not control services directly. Their role is to push, challenge, and represent, rather than to manage operations themselves.

So while it is an important responsibility, it is not a conventional job or career – it is a public service role carried out alongside other work and commitments.

Why it matters

Cambridge is a growing and changing city, and having active, engaged councillors helps ensure that this growth benefits everyone.

If you ever have an issue or concern, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local councillors – that’s exactly what we’re here for.