Local councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are changing

A survey asking people to comment on the future of local government in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

From 19 June to Sunday 20 July, you can submit your views as part of this engagement work.
CLICK HERE or see the Fenland District Council website

Why is the survey taking place? 

Local government in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (and across the country) is going to change. You’ll remember that there was an announcement by national Government in December last year, setting out plans to move towards a new system of local councils. This will remove the two-tier system of district and county councils. Existing unitary councils including Peterborough are also included. 

In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the idea is to replace multiple layers of councils with one or more larger councils, called unitary authorities. Parish and town councils, which are smaller and have different local responsibilities, are not currently being asked to change. 

The Government says this reorganisation should bring services together, potentially leading to improvements and making it simpler for residents to know who to contact. Financial savings are also expected by reducing the number of councils.  

What will the new structure be? 

All seven of the councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have been working together to discuss potential options for a new arrangement of councils. Three options – based on existing council boundaries – are currently on the table. Following initial work between all seven local councils, these options are all deliverable and have different strengths:

Proposal A – A North-West/South-East Option 

  • Unitary 1 
    Peterborough City Council, Huntingdonshire and Fenland District Councils – along with County Council functions. 
  • Unitary 2 
    Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire and South Cambridgeshire District Councils – along with County Council functions. 

Proposal B – A North/South Option 

  • Unitary 1 
    Peterborough City Council, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland and Huntingdonshire District Councils – along with County Council functions. 
  • Unitary 2 
    Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council – along with County Council functions. 

Proposal C – An East/West Option 

  • Unitary 1 
    Peterborough City Council, East Cambridgeshire and Fenland District Councils – along with County Council functions. 
  • Unitary 2 
    Cambridge City Council, Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire District Councils – along with County Council functions. 

Before these proposals for potential new structures are submitted to Government in November, we need to hear what local people think.  

So, we are now at the stage where residents, businesses and other stakeholders (including you as Council colleagues) across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are being asked to share views on the future of local government. Ultimately, it will be for the Government to decide on any new local Council structures. 

What does the engagement work cover? 

Rather than asking people to feed in what geographical areas they think new unitary authorities should cover – the engagement instead focuses on the connections that people feel they have to different areas; like where they work, socialise or get healthcare.  

It also covers what priorities they think the new unitary authorities should have and what is important to them when it comes to dealing with local government services. Responses will then be used to feed into the business cases that will be developed by the councils – which must be submitted to Government in November.