Local Government within Cambridgeshire is discharged through a number of bodies, some of which are centred around specific communities, others of which have much larger remits spanning some or all of Cambridgeshire.

Cambridgeshire County Council as the ‘upper-tier’ local authority for the county provides services across the five districts, or 'lower-tier' areas of Fenland, East Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire.

Cambridgeshire County Council

The County Council’s services include, but are not limited to:

District councils in Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is made up of five districts containing a total of 61 electoral divisions.

Your local district council is responsible for services including:

Council Tax Payments and Benefits
Household Bin Collections
Housing and Housing Benefits
Council Leisure Facilities
Environmental Health
Residential Planning

Contact your local district council using the following links.

Town and parish councils in Cambridgeshire

Town and parish councils are responsible for the following:

Looking after Community Buildings
Open Spaces
Allotments
Play Areas
Bus Shelters

There are no parish councils in the Cambridge City Council area. You can find details of your town and parish councils from the relevant district councils.

The following parish and town councils have set up their own websites:

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA)

On 3 March 2017, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority was established as a Mayoral Combined Authority for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region. The purpose of the Combined Authority is to lead the delivery of the Devolution Deal for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

The Combined Authority’s Mission is to make life better, healthier, and fairer for all.

"We strive to serve our community by working cooperatively and leading with compassion. We are aiming for growth – but good growth. We want to close the gap in healthy life expectancy and salaries, increase access to employment and education, protect our environment and boost innovation."

The Combined Authority works with all the local councils, the Business Board (Local Enterprise Partnership), other local public services, Government departments and agencies, our universities, further education and skills providers and businesses to grow the local and national economy.

The Combined Authority is the statutory Transport Authority for the whole of the region and works closely with the two statutory Highway Authorities, Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council. The Combined Authority leads the development and delivery of the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan for the region and the associated Transport and Infrastructure improvements, including leadership for public transport such as Bus services.

The Combined Authority also leads the region’s work to support business growth, inward investment, and economic development activities, as well commissioning and overseeing the delivery of key devolved government functions like skills, adult learning, and apprenticeships.

The Combined Authority is led by a directly elected Mayor and a Board consisting of the Council Leaders or the appointed representatives of the seven local authorities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the Chair of the Business Board, the elected Police and Crime Commissioner, and the Chair of the NHS Integrated Care Board for the region.

The current directly elected Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, was elected on 8 May 2021.