Cambridgeshire County Council has published the headline analysis results of its Phase 2 engagement on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
1,912 responses were received between 3 September and 3 October 2025, from across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Responses came from residents, town and parish councils, businesses, the community and voluntary sector, other public sector bodies, elected representatives and local authority staff. They shared their views via an engagement survey to help inform the development of Option A, which proposes the creation of two new unitary councils covering the ‘north and ‘south’ of the area between them, to replace the existing seven councils.
The results from the survey show clear patterns of support for Option A, with East Cambridgeshire recording strong support for Option A (67%), followed by Cambridge City (62%), South Cambridgeshire (61%) and Peterborough (55%). The lowest levels of support for this option were from Fenland (26%) and Huntingdonshire (20%) - often linked to concerns about their own local identity in a new council area.
65% of the organisational, business, community and voluntary sector, and other stakeholder groups responding to the survey supported the Option A proposals, as did 58% of the elected representatives who responded.
Across a range of sectors, strong support was evident for Option A, particularly from the NHS, higher education and a number of town and parish councils. Formal letters of support, in addition to survey responses, favouring Option A were submitted by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, highlighting that Option A aligned with patient flows and NHS neighbourhood models, supporting continuity of health and care services. Anglia Ruskin University’s letter of support recognised its campuses in both Cambridge and Peterborough and the opportunity for stronger partnership working in the future that the Option A proposals presented.
A number of town and parish councils, including the City of Ely Council, cited how people travel for work and services, the ties between towns and villages and existing partnerships being important factors in supporting Option A.
Many respondents said Option A could improve service delivery and accessibility, reduce duplication and create two viable and more equal councils with balanced populations and distinct local economies. They felt the proposed footprints better reflected where people live, work, shop and socialise, and that alignment with other public services would make practical sense for residents.
At the same time, respondents set out a range of issues, many of which would apply to any LGR option. Respondents asked about robust estimates for transition costs and how legacy debts from the current local authorities would be addressed. They also raised the implications of greater concentrations of deprivation in the proposed northern unitary—particularly for income and the ability to sustain services.
Rural communities stressed the need to protect access and avoid centralising services in urban centres. For Huntingdonshire, respondents reflected concerns about how different identities within the district would be respected in the future.
Phase 2 also tested awareness of LGR and the priorities for new councils. Most respondents reported knowing something about LGR before the survey, and the priorities they want councils to apply were consistent: value for money, economic development, service continuity and fair representation.
When asked about democratic scale, most favoured councillor-to-population between 2,000 and 10,000, balancing local knowledge with effective political leadership and decision-making.
The County Council will complete a full analysis of the free-text comments provided during October and November 2025 to support the submission of any proposal the Full Council may decide to make when it meets on 21 October 2025.
The submission date for final proposals to Government is 28 November 2025 and it is currently anticipated that there will be several proposals submitted by different local authorities on behalf of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Read the report, its appendices and find out more about LGR in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The meeting will be live-streamed on our YouTube channel.
