The constituency includes some outskirts of Cambridge such as Girton and its eponymous Cambridge College, and a large spread of rural land to the west of the city, which is generally affluent. The population live in villages, most of which are compact – the most densely populated are in the south where two railway lines and the M11 motorway provide rapid access to London. The seat's only ward (Queen Edith's) that lies within the City of Cambridge has a strong Liberal Democrat vote. This ward also contains the Cambridge College Homerton and Addenbrooke's Hospital.
Registered jobseekers totalled 1.4% of the population, much lower than the regional average of 3.1% and the national average of 3.8% of the population in a statistical compilation by The Guardian in November 2012.[2] In 2017 South Cambridgeshire was identified as the constituency with the lowest proportion of claimants of unemployment benefits in the whole of the country, with only 0.6% of the economically active population claiming either Job Seekers Allowance or Universal Credit.[3]
Boundaries and boundary changes
Map of current boundaries
The old boundaries of South Cambridgeshire as used at the 1997, 2001 and 2005 general elections.
1997–2010: The District of South Cambridgeshire wards of Arrington, Bar Hill, Barrington and Shepreth, Barton, Bassingbourn, Bourn, Comberton, Coton, Duxford, Elsworth, Foxton, Gamlingay, Girton, Great Shelford, Hardwick, Harston, Haslingfield, Ickleton, Little Shelford, Longstanton, Melbourn, Meldreth, Orwell, Papworth, Sawston, Stapleford, Swavesey, The Mordens, and Whittlesford; and the City of Cambridge wards of Queen Edith's and Trumpington.[4]
2010–present: The District of South Cambridgeshire wards of Bar Hill, Barton, Bassingbourn, Bourn, Caldecote, Comberton, Cottenham, Duxford, Fowlmere and Foxton, Gamlingay, Girton, Grantchester, Hardwick, Harston and Hauxton, Haslingfield and The Eversdens, Longstanton, Melbourn, Meldreth, Orwell and Barrington, Papworth and Elsworth, Sawston, Swavesey, The Abingtons, The Mordens, The Shelfords and Stapleford, and Whittlesford; and the City of Cambridge ward of Queen Edith's.[5]
The constituency was created following the boundary review of 1995, and was first contested at the 1997 general election. Before this, much of the region had been part of the South West Cambridgeshire constituency represented by Sir Anthony Grant from 1983 to 1997,[6] while the wards of Bar Hill, Coton, Elsworth, Girton, Longstanton and Swavesey had been part of South East Cambridgeshire.
Trumpington ward and parts of Coleridge and Cherry Hinton wards in the City of Cambridge were transferred to Cambridge, having previously been part of South Cambridgeshire.[7]
Additionally, parts of Cottenham ward (specifically the civil parishes of Cottenham and Rampton) and the Abingtons (Babraham, Great Abington, Little Abington and Pampisford) have been added to South Cambridgeshire, having previously voted in the South East Cambridgeshire constituency.[8]
South Cambridgeshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 148,755 at the 2011 census. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. It completely surrounds the city of Cambridge, which is administered separately from the district by Cambridge City Council.
The village college is an institution specific to Cambridgeshire, England, including the Peterborough unitary authority area. It caters for the education of 11- to 16-year-olds during the day, and provides educational and leisure facilities to adults out of school hours.
South East Cambridgeshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Lucy Frazer, a member of the Conservative Party who has served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury since 2021. It was established for the 1983 general election.
The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan (subordinate) bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now covers the modern ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk. The diocese was created in 1109 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.
The Cambridgeshire County Football League, currently styled as the Cambridgeshire Fire Places Cambridgeshire County League for sponsorship purposes, is a football competition covering Cambridgeshire and western parts of Suffolk, Norfolk and northwestern parts of Essex in England. It has a total of 16 divisions, headed by the Premier Division. The Premier Division sits at step 7 of the National League System. Below the Premier Division lies the Senior A Division and Senior B Division. Below those two leagues, the structure splits into two parallel ladders of five divisions each. The Premier Division champions may apply for promotion to the Eastern Counties League Division One, the United Counties League or the Spartan South Midlands League but few take up the offer. For instance, at the end of the 2021–22 season, Great Shelford, traditionally one of the stronger sides in the league, were the Premier Division champions, but did not apply for promotion. However, Eaton Socon FC who finished fourth in the same season, were successful in their application to join the SSMFL Division One as they were the only club with the correct ground grading required for step 6 football.
South West Cambridgeshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. Created in 1983 upon the abolition of the Cambridgeshire constituency, it was abolished in 1997 and succeeded by the constituencies of South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdon.
Chesterton is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created upon the splitting up of the three member Cambridgeshire constituency into three single member divisions in 1885. The seat was abolished in 1918 when Cambridgeshire was recreated as a single-member constituency.
Whaddon is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of Royston.
Elections to South Cambridgeshire District Council took place on Thursday 3 May 2012, as part of the 2012 United Kingdom local elections. Nineteen seats, making up one third of South Cambridgeshire District Council, were up for election. Seats up for election in 2012 were last contested at the 2008 election. The Conservative Party retained their majority on the council.
Elections to South Cambridgeshire District Council took place on Thursday 6 May 2010, as part of the 2010 United Kingdom local elections. The election also took place at the same time as the 2010 United Kingdom general election. Nineteen seats, making up one third of South Cambridgeshire District Council, were up for election. Seats up for election in 2010 were last contested at the 2006 election. The Conservative Party retained their majority on the council, despite losing seats.
Elections to South Cambridgeshire District Council took place on Thursday 1 May 2008, as part of the 2008 United Kingdom local elections. Twenty seats, making up just over one third of South Cambridgeshire District Council, were up for election. Both seats in Gamlingay were contested at this election after one of the councillors retired earlier in the year. Seats up for election in 2008 were last contested at the 2004 election, and were next contested at the 2012 election. The Conservative Party retained their majority on the council.
Elections to South Cambridgeshire District Council took place on Thursday 4 May 2006, as part of the 2006 United Kingdom local elections. Twenty seats, making up just over one third of South Cambridgeshire District Council, were up for election, with a by-election being held in one ward. Seats up for election in 2006 were last contested at the 2004 election, when all seats were up for election due to new ward boundaries, and were next contested at the 2010 election. The Conservative Party remained the largest party with an increased number of seats, but the council remained under no overall control.
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