Labour loses control of city council after 12 years

11 hours ago

Katy Prickett

News image — Kathryn Fisher was "over the moon" to have won for the Greens

Matthew Webb/BBC Kathryn Fisher standing on a balcony in a sports hall with desks laid out for an election count behind them. They have short hair, curling on the top and are wearing round glasses, a blue and white striped shirt and a green Green party rosette and are smiling broadly. — Kathryn Fisher was "over the moon" to have won for the Greens

A Green Party candidate said they were "absolutely over the moon" after unseating the Labour leader of Cambridge City Council.

Kathryn Fisher was speaking after Green and Liberal Democrat gains left no party with overall control of the council, led by Labour since 2014.

The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, strengthened their hold on South Cambridgeshire District Council taking 43 seats, with the Conservatives holding two.

All 52 seats at Huntingdonshire District Council were contested and it remained under no overall control, although Reform UK secured its first 10 seats.

Fisher, who took the seat for the Greens with 1,363 votes compared to Cameron Holloway's 1,208, said the party wanted to "really prioritise sorting out the housing crisis in Cambridge".

"The cost of living crisis is really hitting us in Cambridge," they said. "We are one of the most unequal cities in the UK."

The Greens claimed seven seats, six from Labour, to add to their existing five, while the Liberal Democrats secured four, bringing the party's seats to a total of 11.

Only 15 seats were up for re-election in Cambridge out of 42 and there was a 46% turnout.

Labour did win four wards, but they have gone from 23 seats to 17, with no party in overall control.

Matthew Webb/BBC Cameron Holloway standing in a sports hall with rows of empty tables behind him. He has mid brown hair in a fringe over his forehead and is wearing a grey suit over a white shirt and maroon tie, with a red Labour rosette on its left lapel. — Cameron Holloway had been Labour leader at the city council since May last year, but lost his seat to a Green

Holloway said he was "proud" of what Labour had achieved over the past 12 years.

"We've lost some excellent Labour councillors today and that is very sad," he said.

"I'm very proud of our record though, very proud that we've built 700 council homes, [and] we give over £1m in community grants every year to local charities."

Finn Cullum/BBC A row of standing men and women, some with blue rosettes and some with yellow rosettes on one side of a series of tables put together to make one long table. On the other side are people sitting down with ballots in front of them. They are in a hall in Huntingdonshire. — Huntingdonshire District Council remains under no overall control, with no party securing 27 seats for a majority

Huntingdonshire had been run by a rainbow coalition of Liberal Democrats, Labour, Independents and Greens since 2022.

The Liberal Democrats increased their seats from 10 to 20, the Conservatives went from 22 seats to 15, while Reform UK secured its first 10 seats at the authority.

Karan Maheshwari, Ryan Coogan and Howard Tobias are all now Reform UK councillors for Ramsey.

"People have absolutely had enough of rising taxes, crime on their streets, lack of infrastructure, services always feeling like they are failing and deteriorating," Coogan said when asked about why people voted for his party.

Phil Shepka/BBC Karan Maheshwari, Ryan Coogan and Howard Tobias standing in a sports hall. Karan is wearing a grey suit, with a blue and white Reform rosette, a white shirt, a bright blue tie and blue framed glasses. Ryan has short dark brown hair and is wearing a striped shirt and blue tie. Howard is wearing a black suit, with a blue and white Reform rosette, over a white shirt and bright blue tie. — Karan Maheshwari, Ryan Coogan and Howard Tobias are now elected Reform UK councillors for Ramsey

Labour went from four seats to one, while the Greens doubled their seats from one to two.

There are now four Independent councillors compared to 15 in 2022, and the overall turnout for the election was 41%.

Among the Liberal Democrat winners were three members of the Hunt family - Nathan, Alan and Jacqueline - although the fourth member, Georgie, lost her battle for a Green Party seat.

"I think fundamentally I may wear a different rosette to my family, [but] we all stand for doing what is best for St Neots and Huntingdon," she said.

Emma Howgego/BBC A group of Liberal Democrat male and female councillors standing outside with trees behind them. They all appear to be shouting out and smiling. Third from the right at the front is the South Cambs Lib Dem MP Pippa Heylings. — Liberal Democrat councillors celebrating their wins in South Cambridgeshire, with the district's MP Pippa Heylings (front row, third right)

The last time seats in South Cambridgeshire were contested was also 2022 and the Liberal Democrats secured 37 seats to the Conservatives' eight.

This time they did even better, winning 43 seats on a 47% turnout.

Heather Williams, Conservative leader, said: "I have no intentions of sitting there quietly and licking my wounds; I am raring to go.

"I will hit that ground running and I will be scrutinising everything they put in front of me and I'm definitely not shy of being vocal."

Emma Howgego/BBC Heather Williams standing against a glass window with a door on the right. She has dark brown hair, has her sunglasses perched on the top of her head, is wearing a navy jacket over a floral top and has a blue Conservative badge pinned to her jacket. — Conservative leader Heather Williams saw her own majority increase in her Mordens ward, but lost councillors overall

Emma Howgego, one of BBC Cambridgeshire's political reporters, said: "The scale of the Liberal Democrat victory in South Cambridgeshire has staggered everyone.

"There were some close results in individual wards; in Swavesey, long-serving Conservative Sue Ellington lost to the Liberal Democrats by 58 votes.

"The Conservatives have also lost other experienced councillors like Bunty Waters in Bar Hill.

"The Greens will be disappointed not to have taken a seat in Histon and Impington and Shelford, where they have been campaigning hard.

"The council has made national headlines in recent years when it became the first local authority to introduce a four-day working week: it appears any opposition to that hasn't translated to dissatisfaction at the polls."

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