2026 Cambridge City Council election
7 May 2026
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14 out of 42 seats to Cambridge City Council 22 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Cambridge City Council election will be held on 7 May 2026 to elect members of Cambridge City Council in Cambridgeshire, England.[1][2] This will be on the same day as other local elections.
Due to ongoing local government reorganisation, this will be the final election to Cambridge City Council before it is abolished and replaced by a successor unitary authority. Elections to the successor authority are due to take place in 2027.
Background
In 2024, the Labour Party retained control of the council.[3][4]
Council composition
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 25 | Labour | 23 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 10 | Liberal Democrats | 11 | ||
| Green | 5 | Green | 6 | ||
| Conservative | 1 | Conservative | 1 | ||
| Your Party | Did not exist | Your Party | 1 | ||
| Independent | 1 | Independent | 0 | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
- August 2024: Mairéad Healy (Independent, elected as Labour) resigns – by-election held September 2024[5]
- September 2024: Beth Gardiner-Smith (Labour) wins by-election[6]
- March 2025: Sam Carling (Labour) and Alice Gilderdale (Labour) resign – by-elections held May 2025[7][8]
- May 2025: Jamie Dalzell (Liberal Democrats) and Bob Illingworth (Liberal Democrats) gain by-elections from Labour[9][10]
- August 2025: Dave Baigent (Labour) joins Your Party[11]
- March 2026: Ingrid Flaubert (Liberal Democrats) joins Green Party[12]
Election result
| 2026 Cambridge City Council election | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 13 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 8 | |||||||||
| Green | 5 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 1 | |||||||||
| Your Party | 1 | |||||||||
| Reform UK | 0 | |||||||||
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey | Matthew Howard | Green | ||
| Arbury | Iva Divkovic | Labour | ||
| Castle | Simon Smith | Labour | ||
| Cherry Hinton | Russ McPherson | Labour | ||
| Coleridge | Anna Smith | Labour | ||
| East Chesterton | Baiju Thittala | Labour | ||
| King's Hedges | Martin Smart | Labour | ||
| Market | Katie Porrer | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Newnham | Cameron Holloway | Labour | ||
| Petersfield | Richard Robertson | Labour Co-op | ||
| Queen Edith's | Daniel Lee | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Romsey | Dinah Pounds | Labour | ||
| Trumpington | Olaf Hauk | Liberal Democrats | ||
| West Chesterton | Richard Swift | Labour | ||
Candidates
References
- ^ "A look at 2026 elections in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire". BBC News. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (22 January 2026). "The 3 Cambridgeshire areas where elections will go ahead this year". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (3 May 2024). "Cambridge City Council local election 2024 results breakdown in full". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Cambridge result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Gardner, Gemma (7 August 2024). "By-election called following resignation of Romsey councillor Mairéad Healy". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Romsey Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ Grinnell, Paul (17 March 2025). "North West Cambridgeshire MP Sam Carling to drop city councillor role". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ Howgego, Emma (8 March 2025). "Cambridge Council leader and deputy to stand down". BBC News. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — West Chesterton Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — East Chesterton Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (6 August 2025). "City councillor Dave Baigent leaves Labour saying 'the horror unfolding in Gaza left me with no choice but to resign'". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Shock in city as Lib Dem Councillor defects to the Greens". Cambridge Green Party. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.