Conservatives lose overall control of Cambridgeshire County Council
The party failed to secure enough votes to have overall control in Cambridgeshire.
Last updated 8th May 2021
Cambridgeshire County Council is now under no overall control after the Conservatives failed to get enough votes.
The party went into the election on Thursday 6th May with a majority but lost out on eight seats in total this time around.
The final results, which were declared on Friday 7th May, were as follows: Conservative 28, Liberal Democrats 20, Labour 9, St Neots Independent Group 2, and other Independent 2.
It means that the council will now have to agree on key political roles, such as the Leader and all key committee appointments.
Decisions will be made about these roles at the council's Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 18th May at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.
A full list of the results in our area can be found here.
Reaction to the result
The leader of the Conservative group on Cambridgeshire County Council has said plans for further development in the south east of the county were “probably the main reason” his party lost seats in the area.
He said the extent of growth – referring to housing development and infrastructure plans – was “possibly the main reason” his party lost seats in the south of the county.
He said: “I’m disappointed that we are going back into no overall control. We have been there before and made it work to a certain extent, but it’s not quite as easy and I don’t think it’s quite as decisive. We will see how it goes. Obviously we have got to talk to the other groups as to what they want to be doing moving forward. But yeah, a bit of disappointment on my part.”
Asked if there is any cause for reflection, he said: “I think that you can see that there is a clear geographical divide in where our policies have appealed to the members of the voting public, and where we have failed to get over the line, which is in the south east of the county.
“So we are going to look hard at the differences there and what has caused this change in opinion. I do think that the sheer volume of growth of the county in the south east has been driving a certain amount of this. And it’s a matter of getting, if there is going to be growth, making sure that it’s the right growth and explaining that to the people. That seems to be probably the major election issue I would say”.
Asked what happens now his party has lost overall control, he said there will be discussions between the different groups. He said: “It may be that between the parties that they want a different leader, it may be that they want the same. It really is a case of just starting to have conversations and see what it is that people want to be doing in the next four years and to see where we have consensus or can gain consensus, and to see what unites us rather than what divides us.”
Cllr Count said it is his “desire” to stay on as leader of the Conservative group. Asked if his position is in any doubt, he said: “That’s very much up to the group to decide, that’s done on a yearly basis, and that’s done now between now and the next AGM, and of course the group will be taking our performance into account at that decision, I have no doubt.
“Until they have decided, very much like the council, what they want to do moving forwards, we are in a sort of holding pattern at the moment, but I look forward to talking to them and explaining to them my wishes for moving forward as a leader and seeing if that is acceptable to them”.