Voting opens for Cambridge Chancellor elections

Online voting begins on Wednesday (09/07) to decide Cambridge University’s next Chancellor. Candidates include broadcaster Sandi Toksvig, Queen’s College President Mohamed El-Erian and Extinction Rebellion activist Tony Booth, with the election’s winner set to be the first in over 500 years not to serve a life term. Despite largely being a ceremonial role, the Chancellor does have the power to call and chair Congregations of the Regent House, and decide certain matters on appeal. Online voting will close on 18/07. But don’t get too excited about exercising your democratic right just yet; voting is limited to holders of higher degrees from Cambridge and members of Regent House.

Congratulations!

Cantab Instagram feeds have been flooded with pictures of hooded and gowned graduands, as graduation ceremonies were held from Wednesday to Saturday. Graduands processed from their Colleges to Senate House, where graduation ceremonies took place. Known as General Admission, the University describes the degree ceremony as having its origin in “the earliest customs of the University some eight hundred years ago”.

Five stars for four-day week

South Cambridgeshire District Council has claimed success in its trial of a four-day working week, with workers continuing to do the same amount of work in 80% of the time, without a loss in pay. The council claimed that job applications had increased since the start of the trial, while it had saved nearly £400,000 in agency staff costs. The experiment was backed by researchers from Cambridge University’s department of Sociology, who described it as the largest in the UK public sector, and follows from previous research which showed that a move to a four-day week reduced stress and illness, and improved worker retention.

Folk Festival on the table for 2026 

Cambridge City Council hopes to be able to hold a 2026 edition of the Cambridge Folk Festival, after the 2025 staging was cancelled in January. Founded in 1965, the festival would have celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. Following the 2025 festival’s cancellation, councillors have heard that the event will need to make changes to remain financially viable, with rising costs and lower ticket sales seen as the main challenges. It is unclear how the format of the event may change, but councillors have suggested making use of “neglected spaces” in the city, as well as aiming to get more local groups involved.