Summary

  • The former Conservative MP Paul Bristow has been elected as mayor for the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

  • Paul Bristow won the ballot with 60,243 votes

  • The Liberal Democrats have taken control of Cambridgeshire County Council

  • No single party had a majority at the county council after the last set of elections

  • Counting takes place at various sites across the county after yesterday's ballot

  • The last mayor of the combined authority was Labour's Nik Johnson, but he did not stand for election this time

  • The leader of the county council is re-elected to the authority

Live Reporting

By Shariqua Ahmed, Emma Howgego, Kate Moser Andon and Harriet Heywood. Edited by Christiana Bishop

  1. A new mayor is signed in

    Paul Bristow has signed his declaration of office.

    It was overseen by Rob Bridge, the chief executive of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

    Bristow, the newly elected mayor for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, said: “It’s a huge privilege to become the mayor. People have placed their trust in me and I want to repay that trust by making the mayor matter to them.

    “We need to deliver change. That includes changing the way in which we do politics in our region. I look forward to working with all of our councils and council leaders, so we can put this right together."I have been given a big mandate by local people. Now it’s time to get Cambridgeshire and Peterborough moving."

    Paul Bristow signing his declaration of office at a table inside a sports hall.Combined Authority

    Paul Bristow signs his declaration of office after being elected as mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

  2. Green Party councillor is 'elated and privileged' to win seat

    Peter Charles Rees smiles at the camera inside a counting centre. He is wearing a dark jacket over a grey T-shirt, with is wearing a Green Party rosette.Hannah Brown/LDRS

    Peter Charles Rees won the Newnham seat for the Green Party

    Heading into this year’s local elections the Green Party had no councillors at the authority – now it has three.

    The newly elected Peter Charles Rees said he was “absolutely elated” to win the seat in Newnham.

    He said: “I really hope that we can bring the voice for the climate crisis on to the county council into our decision making, because before today there was not a single Green in the county council, and bringing that voice to the decisions towards climate solutions is our first priority.”

  3. That's a wrap!

    Shariqua Ahmed
    BBC News, Peterborough

    We have come to an end of our live election coverage from across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

    All the results have now been declared, with Conservative Paul Bristow elected as the new mayor and the Liberal Democrats taking control of Cambridgeshire County Council.

    We hope you have enjoyed the coverage.

    Kate and Shariqua smile at the camera as they take a selfie. Shariqua is wearing a cream blazer and Kate has a dark jumper on.

    Kate Moser Andon and Shariqua Ahmed were reporting live from the Soham counting centre

  4. How many county council seats did each party win?

    Bar chart showing result of council election in Cambridgeshire: Lib Dem gain from no party majority. Liberal Democrat Councillors 31 Change since 2021 +11, Conservative Councillors 10 Change since 2021 -18, Reform UK Councillors 10 Change since 2021 +10, Labour Councillors 5 Change since 2021 -4, Green Councillors 3 Change since 2021 +3, Independent Councillors 2 Change since 2021 -2. After 61 of 61 seats declared.

  5. Mayoral elections: analysis

    Kate Moser Andon
    BBC political reporter, Cambridgeshire

    Cambridgeshire and Peterborough once more have a Conservative mayor.

    But this is not a "true blue" county – the Liberal Democrats now have a majority on Cambridgeshire County Council, while Reform UK took 10 council seats and the Greens took three.

    Paul Bristow will have to work with other parties to make his mark as mayor.

    He will be the leader of the combined authority, where decisions are made by its board, consisting of the leader of the district and city councils and the county council.

    His task over the next four years will be to bring all of those different political people together.

  6. Final results

    The Liberal Democrats have taken control of the county council with 31 seats.

    The Conservatives and Reform UK both won a total of 10 seats.

    Labour took five, the Green Party won three and Independent parties took two seats.

    Lucy Nethsingha, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group, was re-elected to the county council, this time standing in Cambourne.

    She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she was "relieved and delighted" to be back at the authority.

    Ms Nethsingha added it was "really important that parties work together to try and get the best outcomes for Cambridgeshire".

    Lucy Nethsingha is smiling at the camera while standing outside. She is wearing a white blouse and blue dress.Emma Howgego/BBC

    Lucy Nethsingha was re-elected to the county council

  7. Liberal Democrats take control of county council

    A group of people photographed outside. They have their hands in the air and are cheering. Some are wearing yellow Liberal Democrats rosettes.Joanna Taylor/BBC

    Liberal Democrats have been celebrating their county council wins across Cambridgeshire this afternoon

    The Liberal Democrats have taken control of Cambridgeshire County Council.

    The party has gained 31 of the 61 available seats, which was the exact amount needed for a majority.

  8. Kemi Badenoch praises Paul Bristow's win

    Bristow wearing a blue suit standing next to Kemi wearing a blue blazerBen Schofield/BBC

    Kemi Badenoch and Paul Bristow celebrated the election victory with party supporters

    Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is in Peterborough to celebrate Paul Bristow's mayoral victory.

    Addressing party supporters, she says she "knew he could do it" and adds that the party "has a big job to do to rebuild trust".

    Bristow, who is the former MP for Peterborough, received 60,243 votes and will replace Labour's Nik Johnson as mayor.

  9. Which results are we still waiting for?

    We are still waiting for the results from these seven areas in Cambridge.

    • Abbey
    • Arbury
    • Castle
    • Chesterton
    • King's Hedges
    • Queen Edith's
    • Romsey

  10. Cambridge results are coming in

    We are now hearing some of the results for Cambridge.

    The Liberal Democrats need three more seats to take a 31-seat majority on the county council.

    The party has taken Market from Labour and held Trumpington.

    The Green Party has taken Newnham from the Liberal Democrats.

    Labour has now won a total of three seats, as the party has held Petersfield and Cherry Hinton.

  11. What results have been declared so far?

    Black ballot boxesEmma Howgego/BBC

    About 12 County Council results are still awaited

    So far 49 out of the 61 Cambridgeshire County Council seats up for election have been declared. The Liberal Democrats are in the lead, although it has been a successful day for Reform UK.

    This is the current seat tally for each party.

    Liberal Democrats: 26

    Conservatives: 10

    Reform UK:10

    Independents: 2

    Labour:1

    We are still waiting for results from Cambridge.

  12. Reform UK gains two more seats

    Stephen Fisher and Colin Galbraith, both from Reform UK, have won Cambridgeshire County Council seats for March North and Waldersey.

    It has been a good result for Reform UK, who won both seats up for re-election with its candidates receiving 4,033 votes in total.

    • Steve Count (Conservative):1,800
    • Elisabeth Sennitt Clough (Conservative): 1,224
    • Stephen Court (Lib Dem): 523
    • Diane Cutler (Lib Dem): 378
    • Martin Field (Labour): 603
    • Hannah Orbell (Labour):507
    • Stephen Fisher (Reform UK): 2,105
    • Colin Galbraith (Reform UK):1,928
    • Elizabeth May (Green): 265
    • Simon Wilkes (Green): 242
    • Dal Roy (Independent):385

  13. Reform UK will still hold power to account, says candidate

    Ryan speaking on the podium with people standing in front watchingShariqua Ahmed/BBC

    Ryan Coogan of Reform UK came second in the mayoral race

    Ryan Coogan of Reform UK came second in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral race, receiving 49,647 votes.

    When speaking at the result declaration, he said the country had not "seen the last of Reform UK".

    "Across the country Reform is coming. We have seen a phoenix rising and we will be here to hold all the big guns to account in coming years," Coogan said.

  14. Liberal Democrats celebrate south Cambridgeshire wins

    Pippa Heylings in a green suit cheers alongside a group of councillors as they celebrate their victories. Many of them are wearing yellow Liberal Democrat rosettes.Emma Howgego/BBC

    The new Liberal Democrat councillors celebrate with Pippa Heylings, the MP for South Cambridgeshire

    Some of the new Liberal Democrat councillors for Cambridgeshire County Council gathered with Pippa Heylings, the Liberal Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire, for a celebratory photo outside the counting centre.

    The BBC understands there will be an induction for all the new councillors tomorrow.

  15. Liberal Democrats win 15 county council seats

    Emma Howgego
    BBC political reporter, Cambridgeshire

    It was a clean sweep for the Liberal Democrats after the party won all 15 seats in south Cambridgeshire for Cambridgeshire County Council.

  16. Conservatives celebrate Paul Bristow's victory

    Paul Bristow and a crowd of supporters celebrate his win as they smile for the camera. Some are holding blue Conservative placards and others are wearing blue Conservative Party rosettes.Shariqua Ahmed/BBC

    Paul Bristow celebrate his election victory with his supporters

    Conservative Party supporters celebrate following Paul Bristow's election as the new mayor for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority.

    Paul Bristow (Conservative): 60,243

    Ryan Coogan (Reform UK): 49,647

    Anna Smith (Labour): 42,671

    Lorna Dupré (Liberal Democrat): 41,611

    Bob Ensch (Green): 18,255

  17. Conservative Paul Bristow wins mayoral race

    Paul Bristow stands at a lectern giving a speech after winning the election. Three candidates stand behind him. He is wearing a suit and blue rosette.Shariqua Ahmed/BBC

    Paul Bristow is the new mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

    The former Conservative MP Paul Bristow has been elected as mayor for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough.

  18. Mayor results expected any minute

    The mayoral candidates and their supporters have arrived in the declaration hall as we have been told the result could be announced very soon.

  19. Quick counting powered by chocolate mini eggs

    Laura Foster
    BBC News, Cambridgeshire

    A mini chocolate egg wrapped in pink foil sitting in the palm of someone's hand.Laura Foster/BBC

    Chocolate eggs and sweets are fuelling counters in south Cambridgeshire

    If you ask any journalist how they get through an election day or night they probably answer by listing the snacks they eat.

    You have to bring food with you because once you are at a count, you cannot leave in case you miss anything.

    For me, it is grapes - a perfect combination of hydration and vitamins.

    In south Cambridgeshire, the quick work of the counters seems to be powered by a combination of mini chocolate eggs and penny sweets.

    And as I write this sentence, someone has just handed me one.

  20. Lib Dems win Soham South and Haddenham

    Shariqua Ahmed
    BBC News, Peterborough

    Tom wearing a blue shirt hugging Lorna Dupre, who is wearing a yellow and black dressShariqua Ahmed/BBC

    There were loud cheers and hugs after Tom Hawker-Dawson election victory was declared

    Tom Hawker-Dawson has won the seat of Soham South and Haddenham for the Liberal Democrats, with 1,110 votes.

    There were big celebrations in amongst party supporters after the results were declared.

    • Tom Hawker-Dawson (Lib Dems): 1,110
    • Bill Hunt (Conservatives):1,029
    • Ryan Coogan (Reform UK): 883
    • David Woricker (Green Party): 281
    • Rosaleen Plaistow (Labour):152