Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

Who is the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough?

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is Dr Nik Johnson. He leads the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), which controls a £95.4m revenue and £152m capital budget for the 2024/25 financial year. ⁷³ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Budget Monitoring Update Report 2024/25 – end of Quarter 2, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, 13 November 2024, https://democracy.cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/documents/s2018/Budget%20Monitoring%20Update%20-%20end%20of%20Q2.pdf

Johnson was elected as the second mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in May 2021. He represents the Labour Party and was previously a consultant paediatrician. ⁷⁴ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Mayor’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, (no date) retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/about-us/mayor  

Under the supplementary vote system, which was used for mayoral elections at the time, Johnson received 32.8% of first preference votes and 51.3% of votes in the second round, after first preference votes were reallocated from the eliminated candidate. He defeated Conservative incumbent James Palmer, who was the mayor from 2017 to 2021. 

Johnson received his highest shares of first preference votes in the urban areas of Cambridge City (51%) and Peterborough (40%). His lowest share of first preference votes was 22% in South Cambridgeshire. 

The overall turnout for the 2021 CPCA mayoral election was 36%, ⁸⁶ BBC News, ‘Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Mayor Election Results’, BBC News, May 2021, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2021/england/mayors/E47000008 an increase from 33.6% in 2017. ⁸⁷ The Electoral Commission, ‘Results and turnout at the May 2017 Combined Authority Mayor elections in England’, The Electoral Commission, 28 October 2019, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.electoralcommission.org.uk/research-reports-and-data/our-reports-and-data-past-elections-and-referendums/results-and-turnout-may-2017-combined-au… There was a large variation in turnout across the region. It was highest in South Cambridgeshire (45%) and lowest in Fenland (30%). 

Who are the candidates in the 2025 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election?

The next mayoral election will take place in May 2025 and will be the first CPCA mayoral election to use the first past the post system, following the Elections Act 2022.

In February 2025, Johnson announced that he would not be standing for re-election. ⁸⁸ Green C, ‘Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough announces decision to step down’, Greatest Hits Radio Rutland, 7 February 2025, retrieved 7 February 2025, https://hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/rutland/news/mayor-of-cambridgeshire-and-peterborough-announces-decision-to-step-down

The Conservative candidate is Paul Bristow, who was the MP for Peterborough from 2019 to 2024. ⁸⁹ Devlin L, ‘Former Peterborough MP to run for mayor in 2025’, BBC News, 25 November 2024, retrieved 9 December 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8rlnzlve43o Lorna Dupré is the Liberal Democrat candidate. She is a Cambridgeshire County and East Cambridgeshire District councillor and previously chaired CPCA’s overview and scrutiny committee. ⁹⁰ East of England Liberal Democrats, ‘Liberal Democrats announce candidate for May’s CPCA Mayoral Election’, East of England Liberal Democrats, (no date) retrieved 3 February 2025, www.eastlibdems.org.uk/cambridgeshire/aboutlorna

As of February 2025, no other parties have announced candidate selections. 

What is the history of devolution to CPCA?

In the March 2016 budget, the government announced it had signed a devolution agreement to establish a mayoral combined authority for East Anglia, including Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, ⁹¹ HM Treasury, Budget 2016, HM Treasury, HC 901, The Stationery Office, March 2016, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80231c40f0b62305b8966d/HMT_Budget_2016_Web_Accessible.pdf although Cambridge City Council did not sign it. Devolution to the area and the mayoral model were locally contentious, ⁹² Sinclair A and McGurran D, ‘Call for action to stop East Anglian mayor plan collapsing’, BBC News, 23 March 2016, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35885433 with the then leader of Norfolk County Council describing the proposal as “flawed” ⁹³ BBC News, ‘Talks on “flawed” plans for directly-elected mayor continue’, BBC News, 12 April 2016, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36013170 and Cambridgeshire County Council voting to reject it. ⁹⁴ Public Sector Executive, ‘Cambridgeshire CC vote against “shotgun wedding” Budget devolution offer’, Public Sector Executive, 23 March 2016, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Public-Sector-News/cambridgeshire-cc-vote-against-shotgun-wedding-budget-devolution-offer

Instead, the local authorities proposed to split the area into two mayoral combined authorities: one for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and one for Norfolk and Suffolk. ⁹⁵ BBC News, ‘East Anglia devolution: Proposal splits counties’, BBC News, 17 June 2016, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-36565223 Although the plan for Norfolk and Suffolk did not proceed, a ‘devolution deal’ was agreed between the government and seven local authorities to form Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) in March 2017. ⁹⁶ Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for Communities and Local Government, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution deal, 16 March 2017, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.gov.uk/government/publications/cambridgeshire-and-peterborough-devolution-deal The first mayoral election took place on 4 May 2017. 

What is the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority?

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) is a legal entity established by parliament in 2017. It brings together seven local authorities: Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Peterborough City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.  

The combined authority board is formed of the directly elected mayor (who is the chair), one representative from each of the seven ‘constituent councils’ and the chair of the business board. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough police and crime commissioner and representatives of the fire authority and integrated care system are co-opted members who attend meetings but cannot vote. ¹¹⁶ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Combined Authority Board’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, (no date) retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/about-us/combined-authority-board

CPCA is currently the only combined authority to have district councils as constituent members, alongside one upper-tier local authority (Cambridgeshire County Council) and one unitary authority (Peterborough City Council). However, as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are included in the government’s programme of local government reorganisation – where councils in two-tier areas are replaced by unitary authorities – the constituent members of the combined authority will change in the coming years. 

Council control by party is split across the region. Cambridgeshire is under no overall control, but has a Liberal Democrat leader in a joint administration with Labour and independent councillors. Peterborough also has no overall control and is run by a Labour minority administration. Of the five district councils, Labour leads Cambridge City Council, the Conservatives lead Fenland and East Cambridgeshire councils, and the Liberal Democrats lead in South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, with East Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire under no overall control. 

The total population of the area covered by CPCA was estimated at 919,000 in 2023. ¹¹⁷ Office for National Statistics, ‘Estimates of the population for England and Wales (Mid-2023)’, 15 July 2024, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/estimatesofthepopulationforenglandandwales The region had an annual gross value added (GVA) of £31bn in 2022. ¹¹⁸ City Science, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority State of the Region 2024 Review: Summary Slide Pack, 1 October 2024, retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshireinsight.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/State-of-the-Region-2024-Summary-Slides.pdf

In recent years, CPCA has had governance challenges. The local government minister wrote to the then mayor James Palmer in 2020 expressing concerns, including about factual errors in CPCA’s constitution, its recruitment processes and its working relationship with the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership responsible for delivering the Cambridge city deal. ¹¹⁹ Calkin S, ‘Minister urges metro mayor to heed Nolan principles, LGC, 23 July 2020, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.lgcplus.com/politics/governance-and-structure/minister-urges-metro-mayor-to-heed-nolan-principles-23-07-2020  

In 2022 an external audit report identified “significant weakness” in CPCA’s governance arrangements ¹²⁰ Hodgson M, Letter to John Pye: Our responsibilities under the National Audit Office (NAO) 2020 Code of Audit Practice, 1 June 2022, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/documents/audit-and-governance-committee/audit/external-audit/22-Cambridgeshire-Peter… and the government issued best value notices to CPCA in January 2023 ¹²¹ Soule M, Letter to Gordon Mitchell: The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) Best Value Notice issued on 24 January 2023, 24 January 2023, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64c90c1919f5622669f3c0fb/Cambridgeshire_and_Peterborough_Combined_Authority_Best_Value_Notice.pdf and January 2024. ¹²² Soule M, Letter to Rob Bridge: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Best Value Notice issued on 30 January 2024, 30 January 2024, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b8dae4e9e10a000d031083/CPCA_BVN_Jan_2024.pdf The government did not re-issue the best value notice when it expired in September 2024, recognising improvements to culture and governance made by the combined authority. ¹²³ Soule M, Letter to Rob Bridge: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Best Value Notice expired 30 July 2024, 9 September 2024, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66db0d4a608fb761b68111de/Cambridgeshire_and_Peterborough_Combined_Authority_Best_Value_Notice_expirati…

What are the powers of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor and combined authority?

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor and combined authority hold powers over transport, skills, local growth and planning. ¹²⁴ Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for Communities and Local Government, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution deal, 16 March 2017, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.gov.uk/government/publications/cambridgeshire-and-peterborough-devolution-deal

CPCA controls an investment fund, which the government has committed to providing £20m for each year for 30 years. The mayor also has the power to place a supplement on business rates to fund infrastructure.

The combined authority has been fully responsible for the 19+ adult education budget since 2018/19. It is also responsible for the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers. In November 2024, it was announced in the ‘Get Britain Working’ white paper that CPCA would become one of eight ‘youth guarantee trailblazer’ areas. ¹²⁵ Department for Work and Pensions ‘Biggest employment reforms in a generation unveiled to Get Britain Working again’ press release, 26 November 2024, www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-employment-reforms-in-a-generation-unveiled-to-get-britain-working-again From spring 2025, it will receive a share of £45m to test ways to provide tailored support for 18–21 year olds to prepare for employment and access education and training opportunities. ¹²⁶ HM Government, Get Britain Working, CP 1191, The Stationery Office, November 2024, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67448dd1ece939d55ce92fee/get-britain-working-white-paper.pdf CPCA will work with partners to connect the local system of employment support and training. It was also announced that the combined authority is the accountable body for the new ‘Connect to Work’ supported employment programme. ¹²⁷ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Secretary of state’s Peterborough visit sees “trailblazer” funding announced to help transform young lives’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, 26 November 2024, retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/news/secretary-of-states-peterborough-visit-sees-trailblazer-funding-announced-to-help-transform-young-l…

The combined authority is the local transport authority for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. ¹²⁸ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Transport’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, (no date) retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/what-we-deliver/transport The mayor is responsible for a multi-year devolved transport budget and for a key route network of roads. The mayor also has the ability to franchise bus services in the area, subject to legislation and local agreement. CPCA introduced a mayoral council tax precept in 2023 to fund bus services. ¹²⁹ Brown H, ‘Council tax precept set to treble to improve buses’, BBC News, 1 February 2024, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crgk853y78ko

The mayor has powers over strategic planning, including responsibility for creating a non-statutory spatial framework for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. As part of the ‘devolution deal’, the government provided an £100m housing and infrastructure fund. ¹³⁰ Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for Communities and Local Government, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution deal, 16 March 2017, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.gov.uk/government/publications/cambridgeshire-and-peterborough-devolution-deal This five-year affordable housing programme concluded in March 2022. ¹³¹ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Housing’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, (no date) retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/what-we-deliver/housing

The CPCA business board works to drive economic growth, secure investment and create jobs. ¹³² Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Business Board’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, (no date) retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/about-us/business-board  As well as supporting businesses, it received £146.7m from 2015–21 from the government’s Local Growth Fund for capital projects to support economic growth. ¹³³ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Business Board Projects’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, (no date) retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/about-us/business-board/business-board-projects/ CPCA also funds two initiatives aimed at driving growth: the CPCA Business Growth Investment Fund and the Social Impact Investment Fund. ¹³⁴ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Business Growth Service, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, (no date) retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/what-we-deliver/business/business-growth-service

How does CPCA compare to the rest of the UK in terms of social and economic outcomes?

There is significant variation across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough on economic outcomes. Gross median weekly pay in the region (£624) exceeds the national average (£575), although this is much higher in Cambridge City (£709) and South Cambridgeshire (£694) than in the other constituent local authorities. Productivity in the CPCA area is slightly below the national average, with Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire the only local authorities above the UK average.

The region performs in line with or above the national average across several core social outcomes, including employment rate, adult skills, male healthy life expectancy, housing standards and digital connectivity.

However, there is substantial variation between local authorities on some measures. For example, just 41.9% of 16-64 year olds have a level three qualification in Fenland, compared to 64.1% across the CPCA region and 61.4% in the UK. Compared to a national average of 28%, the use of public transport to work ranges from 41% in Cambridge City to 13–16% in the more rural local authorities of East Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Fenland and South Cambridgeshire.  

How does the CPCA area overlap with other administrative boundaries?

The CPCA area is well aligned with many other local administrative boundaries.  

The combined authority’s business board replaced the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership in 2018. ¹³⁸ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, ‘Business Board begins work as the new local enterprise partnership’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, 11 October 2018, retrieved 10 December 2024, https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/news/business-board-begins-work-as-the-new-local-enterprise-partnership This acted as the local enterprise partnership (LEP) until its functions were absorbed into the combined authority in 2024. ¹³⁹ Davison D and Hollinrake K, Letter to LEP Chairs, Combined Authority Mayors, Local Authority Leaders and the Mayor of London: Transfer of Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Core Functions to Combined and Local Authorities, 4 August 2023, retrieved 21 November 2024, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1176374/Transfer_of_LEP_core_functions_-_LEP_chairs_m…

CPCA is coterminous with the local police force. However, unlike in some other combined authorities which align with the police force areas, the role of police and crime commissioner has not been transferred to the mayor. Instead, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough police and crime commissioner is a non-voting member of the combined authority board.  

CPCA is also aligned with the fire authority and the NHS integrated care system, each of which have non-voting representatives on the combined authority board.

CPCA is aligned with the geography of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Skills Improvement Plan, produced separately by the local chambers of commerce in close consultation with the combined authority. ¹⁴⁰ Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP): Progress report, June 2024, Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, June 2024, retrieved 10 December 2024, www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/LSIP-PLAN-FINAL-FOR-PUBLICATION.pdf CPCA falls within the wider East of England Department for Education region.