Local Elections 2014: Cambridge

No overall control

Control of Cambridge City Council hangs in the balance as Labour and the Liberal Democrats battle over winning an overall majority.

Cambridge has been a flagship Liberal Democrat council for more than a decade but the party lost its majority in the 2012 elections and no runs a minority council. However it needs just one gain to re-take control.

Labour have been making gains in recent years and need just three net gains to win an outright majority of their own for the first time since 2000. Labour took 44% of the vote in the local elections in 2012 - their highest share in the city since 1996.

The Conservatives last ran the council back in the 1970s. The Greens are reasonably strong in the city but don't currently have any councillors.

There are elections for 15 of the 42 councillors on Cambridge City Council in 2014.

Wards with elections

• Abbey
• Arbury
• Castle
• Cherry Hinton
• Coleridge
• East Chesterton
• King’s Hedges
• Market
• Newnham
• Petersfield (2 seats)
• Queen Edith’s
• Romsey
• Trumpington
• West Chesterton

Council history

1973-76 LAB; 1976-79 CON; 1979-86 NOC; 1986-87 LAB; 1987-88 NOC; 1988-92 LAB; 1992-96 NOC; 1996-98 LAB; 1998-2000 NOC; 2000-12 LD; 2012-present NOC

• Population: 123,867
• Households: 46,714
• Area: 16 square miles

Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday 22 May 2014.