South Cambridgeshire

Local Authority District in England

Cambridgeshire, East of England

§ This page gives an overview of the South Cambridgeshire local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.

Overview ⁞ South Cambridgeshire encircles Cambridge with a blend of historic villages, rolling countryside, and growing business parks. The district features numerous picturesque villages such as Grantchester, famed for its meadows and literary associations, and Duxford, home to the Imperial War Museum with its vast collection of aircraft. The Gog Magog Hills offer elevated views and walking trails, contrasting with the flat fen-edge landscapes to the north. The area has strong ties to science and innovation, with technology parks and research centres complementing its rural charm. The mix of ancient churches, traditional pubs, and scenic pathways makes it a sought-after area for both its heritage and proximity to Cambridge.

The administrative boundary of South Cambridgeshire can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of South Cambridgeshire.

Map of South Cambridgeshire — Administrative Boundary of South Cambridgeshire (Local Authority District)

Key Facts about South Cambridgeshire

What region is South Cambridgeshire in? South Cambridgeshire is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.

What county is South Cambridgeshire in? South Cambridgeshire is located in the county of Cambridgeshire.

Is South Cambridgeshire a city? No, South Cambridgeshire is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)

Who governs South Cambridgeshire? The local authority for this district is: South Cambridgeshire District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Cambridgeshire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Cambridgeshire County Council.

▶ Official website of South Cambridgeshire District Council 🔗 scambs.gov.uk

Which police force covers South Cambridgeshire? Policing in South Cambridgeshire is provided by Cambridgeshire Constabulary 🔗 cambs.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Cambridge ⁞ East Cambridgeshire ⁞ Fenland ⁞ Huntingdonshire ⁞ Peterborough ⁞ South Cambridgeshire.

This district page, South Cambridgeshire, is a sub-page of this county page: Cambridgeshire and this region page: East of England. It zooms in to local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, and provides a list of wards in this district. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK local authority districts: List of Local Authority Districts.

Constituencies in South Cambridgeshire

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.

Wards in South Cambridgeshire

South Cambridgeshire is divided into 26 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

Balsham
Bar Hill
Barrington
Bassingbourn
Caldecote
Cambourne
Caxton & Papworth
Cottenham
Duxford
Fen Ditton & Fulbourn
Foxton
Gamlingay
Girton
Hardwick
Harston & Comberton
Histon & Impington
Linton
Longstanton
Melbourn
Milton & Waterbeach
Over & Willingham
Sawston
Shelford
Swavesey
The Mordens
Whittlesford

In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.

Parishes in South Cambridgeshire

South Cambridgeshire is fully parished: 104 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.

Abington Pigotts
Arrington
Babraham
Balsham
Bar Hill
Barrington
Bartlow
Barton
Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth
Bourn
Boxworth
Caldecote
Cambourne
Carlton
Castle Camps
Caxton
Childerley
Comberton
Conington
Coton
Cottenham
Croxton
Croydon
Dry Drayton
Duxford
Elsworth
Eltisley
Fen Ditton
Fen Drayton
Fowlmere
Foxton
Fulbourn
Gamlingay
Girton
Grantchester
Graveley
Great Abington
Great and Little Chishill
Great Eversden
Great Shelford
Great Wilbraham
Guilden Morden
Hardwick
Harlton
Harston
Haslingfield
Hatley
Hauxton
Heydon
Hildersham
Hinxton
Histon
Horningsea
Horseheath
Ickleton
Impington
Kingston
Knapwell
Landbeach
Linton
Litlington
Little Abington
Little Eversden
Little Gransden
Little Shelford
Little Wilbraham
Lolworth
Longstanton
Longstowe
Madingley
Melbourn
Meldreth
Milton
Newton
Northstowe
Oakington and Westwick
Orchard Park
Orwell
Over
Pampisford
Papworth Everard
Papworth St. Agnes
Rampton
Sawston
Shepreth
Shingay cum Wendy
Shudy Camps
South Trumpington
Stapleford
Steeple Morden
Stow cum Quy
Swavesey
Tadlow
Teversham
Thriplow and Heathfield
Toft
Waterbeach
West Wickham
West Wratting
Weston Colville
Whaddon
Whittlesford
Willingham
Wimpole

A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.

Built-up Areas in South Cambridgeshire

South Cambridgeshire covers 86 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.

Babraham
Balsham
Bar Hill
Barrington (South Cambridgeshire)
Barton (South Cambridgeshire)
Bassingbourn
Bourn
Boxworth
Brinkley *
Cambourne
Cambridge (Cambridge) *
Castle Camps
Caxton
Comberton
Coton
Cottenham
Dry Drayton
Duxford
Earith *
Elsworth
Eltisley
Fen Ditton
Fen Drayton *
Fenstanton *
Fowlmere
Foxton (South Cambridgeshire)
Fulbourn
Gamlingay
Girton
Grantchester
Graveley
Great Abington
Great Chesterford *
Great Chishill
Great Eversden
Great Gransden *
Great Shelford and Stapleford
Great Wilbraham
Guilden Morden
Hardwick (South Cambridgeshire)
Harlton
Harston
Haslingfield
Hauxton
Heathfield (South Cambridgeshire)
Heydon
Highfields Caldecote
Hinxton
Histon and Impington
Horningsea
Horseheath
Ickleton *
Kingston (South Cambridgeshire)
Kneesworth
Landbeach
Linton (South Cambridgeshire) *
Litlington
Little Abington
Little Eversden
Little Gransden *
Little Shelford
Longstanton and Northstowe
Melbourn
Meldreth
Milton (South Cambridgeshire) *
Newton (South Cambridgeshire)
Oakington
Orwell
Over
Papworth Everard
Rampton (South Cambridgeshire)
Royston (North Hertfordshire) *
Sawston
Shepreth
Shudy Camps
Steeple Morden
Stow cum Quy
Swavesey
Teversham
Thriplow
Toft
Waterbeach
West Wickham
West Wratting
Whittlesford
Willingham

In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of South Cambridgeshire.)