Cambridge City Council is under fire for pushing ahead with a £41 million refurbishment of the historic Guildhall – a project opponents say could soon become pointless if the city is merged into a new “super council”.
The Labour-led authority has already spent £4 million of public money on consultancy fees for the project, despite widespread uncertainty over the future of local governance. Under plans revealed by Labour’s Angela Rayner in December, district councils like Cambridge City could be abolished by 2028, replaced by larger, single-tier unitary authorities.
These proposed councils would take on all local government duties, combining the responsibilities currently split between district and county levels. Cambridgeshire is one of the areas identified for this shift – meaning both Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire councils could disappear.
Critics argue that investing tens of millions in the Guildhall now is a high-stakes gamble.
“The Labour council believes the Guildhall will be the centre of the new super council,” a source told the Telegraph, who reported on this earlier this month. “It might be – but it might not. They’re gambling with our money, not their own.”
The Civic Quarter redevelopment, which includes the Guildhall revamp, forms part of a wider £83 million vision for the area. This comes at a time when councils across the UK are slashing public services and raising taxes to stay afloat. Cambridge has already approved a 2.99% tax increase – the maximum allowed for a district council.
Meanwhile, basic services like public toilets and street cleaning are being cut. “It’s depressing if your town seems dirty,” said one resident. “Things like this really matter.”
There’s also growing concern about the viability of the “super council” model itself. A survey by the Local Government Information Unit found only 10% of senior council officials felt properly consulted on the reorganisation. Just 23% believed it would solve the ongoing funding crisis in local government.
Recent financial troubles faced by other unitary councils, such as Nottingham’s effective bankruptcy and Somerset’s 7.49% tax rise, have only fuelled scepticism.
Despite the criticism, Cambridge City Council remain committed to the vision, the council maintains that the city holds both regional and national significance and intends to position the Guildhall as the central hub of any future unitary authority.
As councils struggle to balance their books and residents face rising bills, many question whether now is the right time for such a costly project – especially when the future of the council itself is far from secure.
