Cambridge Labour Party Cambridge Labour Party
Cllrs Mike Davey and Alice Gilderdale are to step down from their roles as leader and deputy leader of the Labour Group on Cambridge City Council in May 2025. Mike Davey will remain as a councillor with Alice Gilderdale resigning from the council as she plans to move to London.
As there are no City Council elections this year, Labour will remain the ruling group on the council and the new leader and deputy leader will therefore lead the council. Cllrs Davey and Gilderdale are fully focused on ensuring a smooth transition to the new leadership over the future months.
The councillors have shared the following joint statement:
It has been an immense challenge and a real pleasure leading the City Council over the past two years. We have had the joy of working as part of an incredibly effective team of councillors and officers who deeply care about our local community and who are constantly striving to do best for our city, and we leave behind a Labour administration that is delivering for the people of Cambridge.
Working with our fellow councillors we have steered the City Council through a tough couple of years including supporting residents through a cost of living crisis and ensuring growth in the city is well-managed and responsive to the housing, water and climate crises. We also concluded a detailed review of the council’s governance, a thorough transformation programme and have tackled head-on the conversation of devolution and new unitary authority configurations. All of this took place against a backdrop of immense financial pressure caused by years of austerity, all while demand for our services increases.
We are proud of our many achievements, including delivering our 730th council home since 2018, opening both the Meadows Community Centre and Cherry Hinton Hub, investing millions directly in our communities as well as our parks, swimming and leisure centres, and being recognised nationally for our outstanding work building council housing.
It is no secret that being an elected council member is a huge time, financial and emotional commitment, and there is still a long way to go before the roles are truly accessible to everyone. We have both been lucky enough to have the resources needed to give our full time and attention to our positions, but after two years we have decided that it is time to let others take on the responsibilities.
We have been privileged to work with a dedicated team of executive councillors, and we remain focused on our roles until new leadership is elected in mid-May so that there is a smooth handover to the new leadership.
We are incredibly grateful for the trust and support we have received over the years and will continue to champion the fight against inequality and injustice.
Re-elected as councillor for Petersfield Ward in 2024, Mike looks forward to dedicating more time to his work as a ward councillor, as well as spending more time with his family, his young grandchildren and in the North Habbin at the Abbey stadium.
After four years as a City Councillor, and 27 years as a resident in Cambridge, Alice is excited to be moving to London and wishes the best to her Labour colleagues and residents in East Chesterton.
The new leadership of the Labour Group will be elected by the councillors at the Labour Group AGM on 11th May and proposed as leaders of the council at the City Council’s AGM on 22nd May. A City Council by-election will be called for East Chesterton alongside the County and Mayoral elections taking place on the 1st May.
Cllr Mike Davey, Cambridge City Council Leader
Cllr Alice Gilderdale, Cambridge City Council Deputy Leader