Cambridge Independent, 29th September 2025
Option B Is the Only Way to Protect East Cambridgeshire
This summer, all seven councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough asked residents, businesses, and organisations for their views on the future of local government. The response from East Cambridgeshire was clear: people value what we’ve built together and want it protected.
Survey results showed East Cambs residents reported the highest satisfaction with services (63% compared with 45% on average across the other 6 councils), the strongest sense of belonging (76% versus 62%), and the best value for Council Tax (52% against 26%). We also ranked highest on protecting local identity. Crucially, 81% of respondents said they were concerned about East Cambs being overlooked in reorganisation.
This is a resounding vote of confidence. Our community has given us a mandate: keep services local, protect our identity, and put East Cambridgeshire at the heart of the future.
We have a strong record to defend. For 12 years we have frozen Council Tax, while others raised theirs annually. We remain debt-free, unlike every other authority in the county. We have delivered affordable homes for local people, invested in infrastructure, kept parking free in towns and city centres, and turned Ely Markets into award-winners. These successes are possible not despite our size, but because we are small, nimble, and local.
If I had my way, East Cambridgeshire would become a unitary authority in its own right. We could do the job well. But that option isn’t on the table. Instead, we face a choice: Option A, joining Greater Cambridge, or Option B, forming a northern unitary with Fenland, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough.
At first glance, many assume East Cambs belongs with Cambridge. It’s a natural instinct – Cambridge is nearby, wealthy, and world-renowned. But peel back the layers, and Option A is full of risks.
Joining Greater Cambridge would drag us into a housing growth machine. With 150,000 new homes already planned on top of Local Plan numbers, and our land values lower than Cambridge’s, much of that housing would fall here. Worse, local people would lose control – decisions would be made by the Government’s Cambridge Growth Company, not Councillors elected to serve our communities.
Option A would also mean the steepest Council Tax rise, simply to align us with Cambridge City and South Cambs, who have raised theirs to the maximum every year. It would saddle us with the highest inherited debt and leave us in an authority dominated by Cambridge, where rural voices are drowned out. In short: higher taxes, more houses, more debt, and less local control.
That is why I support Option B. This would create two strong authorities: one in Greater Cambridge, and one in the north, combining East Cambs, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough.
Option B is the most financially viable model. It channels more money into health, transport, and social care. It spreads resources fairly, keeps Council Tax low, and preserves local services through community-based offices and Councillors who know their areas. It links us to
Peterborough’s economic strength, opening opportunities in agri-tech, advanced manufacturing, and logistics, while still letting us benefit from Cambridge’s high-tech economy.
Most importantly, Option B respects what residents want. It protects our identity, strengthens our rural voice, and enables us to benefit from Cambridge without being overshadowed or exploited by it.
We are nearing the deadline to submit our business plan. My message to residents, businesses, and partners is simple: don’t assume aligning with Cambridge is best for East Cambs. The evidence says otherwise.
We are not Cambridge. We are East Cambridgeshire – special, unique, and proud of it. With Option B, we can safeguard our identity, keep services local, and give our communities the voice they deserve.
Anna Bailey
East Cambs District Council, Member for the Downham Ward
Leader of the Council
Deputy Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
Chairman of East Cambs Community Land Trust
Deputy Chair Political of Ely & East Cambridgeshire Conservative Association
