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2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election

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2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election
← 2017 6 May 2021 2025 →
Turnout37.0%
  Blank
Con
Lib
Candidate Nik Johnson James Palmer Aidan Van de Weyer
Party Labour Co-op Conservative Liberal Democrats
First round 76,106 93,942 61,885
Percentage 32.8% 40.5% 26.7%
Swing Increase14.2pp Increase2.5pp Increase3.2pp
Second round 113,994 108,195 Eliminated
Percentage 51.3% 48.7% Eliminated
Mayor before election

James Palmer
Conservative

Elected mayor

Nik Johnson
Labour

The 2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

The supplementary vote system was used to elect the mayor for a four-year term of office. Subsequent elections will be held in May 2025 and every four years thereafter. The election was held alongside a full election for Cambridge City Council, the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Cambridgeshire County Council and one-third of Peterborough City Council and a number of District and parish by-elections.[1][2][3]

Background

[edit]
Area of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

The mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough serves as the directly elected leader of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. The mayor has power over investment directly to the combined authority from the government of £20 million a year for 30 years from 2017. The mayor does not incorporate the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner into the post.

In the 2017 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election, the Conservative candidate James Palmer was elected with 38.0% of the vote in the first round and 56.9% of the second round vote. The Liberal Democrat candidate Rod Cantrill came in second place with 23.5% of the first round vote and 43.1% of the second round vote, with Labour in third place with 18.6% of the first round vote.[4]

Electoral system

[edit]

The election used a supplementary vote system, in which voters may express a first and second preference for candidates. As there are only three candidates, the process would proceed:

  • If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first preference vote, that candidate wins
  • If no candidate receives more than 50% of first preference votes, the candidate in third place will be eliminated and their votes redistributed according to second preference votes to the remaining two candidates
  • The candidate who then has the highest overall total of votes cast is declared the Elected Mayor.[5][6]

Candidates

[edit]

Three candidates stood for election.[7] The Green Party said that they weren't fielding a candidate in order to focus on council elections.[8]

Conservative Party

[edit]

James Palmer was standing for re-election. He was previously a leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council.[9]

Labour Party

[edit]

Nik Johnson, a children's doctor at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, was their candidate. He had been the party's parliamentary candidate for Huntingdon in 2015 and 2017, and has served as a district councillor since 2018.[9] He defeated Cambridge city councillor Katie Thornburrow in a vote of party members in November 2020.[10]

Liberal Democrats

[edit]

Aidan Van de Weyer, the deputy leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, was their candidate.[11]

Campaign

[edit]

Palmer, the Conservative candidate, supported a proposed Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro project that would connect towns and villages across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough using driverless pods. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Aidan Van de Weyer, opposed the project and the Labour candidate, Nik Johnson, said he would cancel the whole project.[12][13][14] Van de Weyer and Johnson opposed plans considered by Palmer to build new garden villages to help fund the metro project.[12][15]

Palmer said he was delivering bus franchising. Van de Weyer and Johnson also supported bus franchising, and Van de Weyer said Palmer's claims about progressing the process were "hollow" given a lack of progress.[16] All three candidates opposed the construction of an incinerator in Wisbech.[17][18]

Results

[edit]

The Liberal Democrat candidate was eliminated in the first round. The Labour and Conservative candidates received the second preference votes. The close race was not finally decided until the Peterborough votes were announced and despite a large vote for the Conservative candidate in Fenland district the outcome was a Labour win.[19]

Overall

[edit]
  • First round results of the mayoral election
    First round results of the mayoral election
  • Second round results of the mayoral election
    Second round results of the mayoral election
2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Labour Co-op Nik Johnson 76,106 32.8% 37,888 113,994 51.3
​​
Conservative James Palmer 93,942 40.5% 14,253 108,195 48.7
​​
Liberal Democrats Aidan Van der Weyer 61,885 26.7%
​​
Turnout 231,933 37.0%

By local authority

[edit]

Cambridge

[edit]
2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election (Cambridge)
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Labour Co-op Nik Johnson 19,585 50.7% 8,875 28,460 76.9%
​​
Liberal Democrats Aidan Van der Weyer 12,787 33.1%
​​
Conservative James Palmer 6,284 16.3% 2,260 8,544 23.1%
​​
Turnout 38,656 41.1%

East Cambridgeshire

[edit]
2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election (East Cambridgeshire)
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Conservative James Palmer 10,408 44.3% 1,444 11,852 53.6%
​​
Liberal Democrats Aidan Van der Weyer 7,779 33.1%
​​
Labour Co-op Nik Johnson 5,323 22.6% 4,929 10,252 46.4%
​​
Turnout 23,510 35.8%

Fenland

[edit]
2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election (Fenland)
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Conservative James Palmer 14,494 65.2% 780 15,274 70.0%
​​
Labour Co-op Nik Johnson 5,129 23.1% 1,228 6,357 30.0%
​​
Liberal Democrats Aidan Van der Weyer 2,593 11.7%
​​
Turnout 22,216 29.7%

Huntingdonshire

[edit]
2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election (Huntingdonshire)
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Conservative James Palmer 21,824 47.3% 2,707 24,531 54.9%
​​
Labour Co-op Nik Johnson 15,142 32.8% 4,997 20,139 45.1%
​​
Liberal Democrats Aidan Van der Weyer 9,199 19.9%
​​
Turnout 46,165 34.8%

Peterborough

[edit]
2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election (Peterborough)
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Conservative James Palmer 22,465 47.7% 1,703 24,168 52.5%
​​
Labour Co-op Nik Johnson 18,889 40.1% 2,946 21,835 47.5%
​​
Liberal Democrats Aidan Van der Weyer 5,776 12.3%
​​
Turnout 47,130 33.9%

South Cambridgeshire

[edit]
2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election (South Cambridgeshire)
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Liberal Democrats Aidan Van der Weyer 23,751 43.8%
​​
Conservative James Palmer 18,467 34.0% 5,359 23,826 46.9%
​​
Labour Co-op Nik Johnson 12,038 22.2% 14,933 26,971 53.1%
​​
Turnout 54,256 45.0%

Aftermath

[edit]

Johnson was elected mayor and repeated his commitments to introducing bus franchising.[20] He cancelled plans for an autonomous metro system that he described as having "all the hallmarks of being an expensive folly and a potential financial blackhole".[21]

Palmer said he would leave politics following his defeat.[22] Tim Wotherspoon, a Conservative councillor who lost his seat in the concurrent county council election, said Palmer "had it coming".[23] Van der Weyer stood down as the deputy leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council to "recharge [his] batteries" after the campaign.[24]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Local Elections 2020". Peterborough City Council. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Elections in 2020". Cambridge City Council. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Police and Crime Commissioner elections". The Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough". BBC. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Choosing an elected mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough". ITV News. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  6. ^ John Hill (2021). Election of Mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. John Hill.
  7. ^ "Choosing an elected mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough". ITV News. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Green Party won't contest mayoral and crime chief elections in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral elections: The candidates who say they will be standing". BBC News. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Labour selects NHS doctor as candidate for Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough election". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  11. ^ Veale, Andy (6 June 2020). "Cambridgeshire Lib Dems announce candidate to take on 'aggressive' mayor". Cambridge Independent. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Cambridgeshire mayoral candidate vows to scrap 'foolish' £4bn Metro". Construction News. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  13. ^ Hatton, Benjamin (26 March 2021). "Labour pledge to halt Cambridgeshire metro plans if elected". CambridgeshireLive. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  14. ^ elworthy, john (25 March 2021). "Labour's stark warning on Cam Metro". Ely Standard. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Mayor's plan for new garden villages to pay for metro is 'barmy', claims opponent". Cambridge Independent. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Bus franchise system will be delivered in Peterborough says Metro Mayor". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Trio fighting for role as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor back Wisbech anti-incinerator campaign". Fenland Citizen. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  18. ^ Hepburn, Louise (24 March 2021). "All Cambs mayor candidates say they oppose Wisbech incinerator". Wisbech Standard. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Astonishing Labour Victory". www.cambstimes.co.uk.
  20. ^ "Cambridgeshire mayor: 'I will listen to the experts to tackle county's challenges'". Cambridge Independent. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Mayor Nik Johnson to scrap £2 billion metro project". Varsity Online. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Former Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor James Palmer quits politics after election defeat". Cambridge Independent. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  23. ^ elworthy, john (11 May 2021). "Surprise attack on 'toxic' Tory brand". Ely Standard. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  24. ^ "South Cambs deputy leader stands down from role after mayoral election loss". Cambridge Independent. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
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