Local elections are held annually, with one councillor from each ward retiring or standing for re-election each year.
Every fourth year there is a break from city council elections, and elections for county councillors are held.
The next planned local election, in early May 2012, will be for 14 of the 42 seats on the city council.
2011 elections
On Thursday 5 May 2011, local elections took place for 15 of the 42 seats on Cambridge City Council, including a by-election for Cherry Hinton ward.
There was also a UK-wide referendum on how we vote at parliamentary elections, and a county council by-election for Arbury division.
Read the 2011 elections page for all the results.
Your vote
Check your eligibility to vote, then make sure your details are on the electoral register and keep them up-to-date: read more about registering to vote.
If you cannot make it to your polling station on election day you can register for a postal or proxy vote. Read more about how to vote.
Contact
Please return registration forms and direct any questions to electoral services at Cambridge City Council, PO Box 700, Cambridge CB1 0JH.
Email elections@cambridge.gov.uk or telephone 01223 457048.
Further information
More information about voting can be found at the Electoral Commission's About My Vote website.
Promote the Vote
Promote the Vote was a project supported by the Electoral Commission in 2008 and 2009 to provide free workshops to encourage people with learning disabilities to gain a better understanding of politics, become active citizens and register to vote.
A Promote the Vote website was created with these aims in mind. Guidance is also available on how people can run their own workshops about voting.
The project was part of Speaking Up, now known as VoiceAbility, a national charity which gives disabled people across the UK a voice and control over their lives.
For more information email imogen.ridler@voiceability.org or telephone 01223 555845.
