Cambridge City Council
Englandcouncilβ’Last update: 13 Jun 2026
Summary
#9 of 69Cambridge City Council has passed 11 plant-based food transition actions. The council has a strong record of formally committing to plant-based transition actions. 2 earlier commitments have not been reaffirmed in over 2 years. The council's formal decisions deliver more than public claims suggest. The council is responding to public demand in its formal decisions. The trajectory is improving β more recent decisions support plant-based transition than older ones.
Total impact score
28.33
Sum across in-scope actions
Actions in scope
21
Actions with a score for this council
Average per action
1.35
Meetings processed: 1943 Β· Evidence spans: 39
Behaviour profile
Active
β Improving Β· β 2 stale commitments
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GreenWash alignment
Modest
Public claims vs formal delivery
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Public pressure
Responsive
Public demand vs council response
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Data coverageΒ·615 meetingsΒ·1781 docsΒ·last: Jun 2026
Council behaviour profile
Activeβ
2 commitments not reaffirmed in over 2 years.
- Deforestation-free supply chains: no ecosystem clearing for animal farming; mandatory trade deal clausesΒ· last seen May 2022
- Allocate land/allotments for community food growing and plant-rich diets (edible gardens, veg growing)Β· last seen Mar 2024
- Formally committed
- Discussed, not decided
- Active opposition0 signals
- Commitments dropped
Based on formal council meeting records
Alignment: Actions vs Public Claims
ModestPublic claims (2)Delivered (11)
Overall index: -0.82 (positive = more claims than delivery)
Based on 2 curated commitment documents
| Theme | Claimed | Delivered | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant-Based & Agricultural Transition | 0 | 5 | -5 |
| Nature, Land & Animal | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Governance & Accountability | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Advocacy & Partnerships | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Based on 2 public-facing documents (2 curated)
Public Pressure vs Council Response
ResponsiveCouncil acting in response to public demand
Public demand (8 actions raised)Delivered (11)
Public demandDelivered
Density: 8.00 actions/doc
| Theme | Pressured | Delivered | Gap | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant-Based & Agricultural Transition | 1 | 5 | -4 | 1 |
| Nature, Land & Animal | 0 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| Public Engagement & Education | 1 | 0 | +1 | 1 |
| Governance & Accountability | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Advocacy & Partnerships | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Based on 1 public pressure document (public forum packs, petitions)
Scored actions
Click an action to see scoring breakdown and evidence snippets.
| Action | Category | Stance | Body | Mentions | Last meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shift policy support from monoculture toward diversified agroecological/veganic/regenerative farming (permaculture principles)action 67View action page β | Agricultural Policy: PBT Redirect | Supporting | CabinetCouncil | 2 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Adopt plant-forward / plant-based procurement policyaction 37View action page β | Procurement & Council Operations | Supporting | Cabinet | 1 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Plant-based catering requirements for major venues & eventsaction 31View action page β | Planning & Regulation | Supporting | Cabinets independent Climate Change Committeeto appoint Environment and Communities Scrutiny CommitteeAmendment by: Cambridge | 2 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Targets for plant-based/plant-rich procurement in public cateringaction 49View action page β | Supply Chain & Infrastructure | Supporting | Cabinet | 1 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Adopt a funded Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) programme for climate mitigation/adaptation with measurable targetsaction 58View action page β | Climate Adaptation & Nature-Based Solutions: RESTORE | Supporting | Cabinetthe Committeethe Strategy for recommendation to Cabinet+1 | 3 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Provide stewardship subsidies for landowners/farmers restoring ecosystem services (carbon, biodiversity, flood defence)action 59View action page β | Agricultural Subsidies & Stewardship: RESTORE | Supporting | sample panel | 1 | 24 Jul 2024 |
Rewilding and land restoration payments/subsidies for former livestock landaction 60View action page β | Agricultural Subsidies & Stewardship: RESTORE | Supporting | CabinetPerformance, Assets and Strategy Overview and Scrutiny CommitteePlanning+1 | 40 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Deforestation-free supply chains: no ecosystem clearing for animal farming; mandatory trade deal clausesaction 71View action page β | Land Use & Deforestation: PBT Relinquish | Supporting | s independent Climate Change Committeeto appoint Environment and Communities Scrutiny CommitteeAmendment by: Cambridge | 1 | 26 May 2022 |
Plant-based options offered in council catering/venues (non-default)action 74View action page β | Procurement & Council Operations | Supporting | Cabinets independent Climate Change Committeeto appoint Environment and Communities Scrutiny CommitteeAmendment by: Cambridge | 3 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Reform farm subsidies and agri-environment schemes to reward reduced livestock density and shift to horticulture/plant-protein cropsaction 27View action page β | National Advocacy | Supporting | CabinetCouncilPlanning+1 | 11 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Allocate land/allotments for community food growing and plant-rich diets (edible gardens, veg growing)action 20View action page β | Land Use & Producer Transition | Supporting | Planning | 1 | 27 Mar 2024 |
Coastal habitat restoration / blue carbon projects (seagrass, saltmarsh, kelp where applicable)action 54View action page β | Land Use & Nature Restoration: RESTORE | Neutral | Council | 1 | 28 Nov 2024 |
Declare a climate emergency (including explicit recognition of food-system emissions and plant-based transition)action 63View action page β | Governance & Strategy: PBT Redirect | Neutral | CabinetPerformance, Assets and Strategy Overview and Scrutiny CommitteeServices, Climate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 8 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Divestment from animal agriculture / livestock-heavy investmentsaction 2View action page β | Economic Development & Business | Neutral | Council | 1 | 26 May 2022 |
Integrate plant-based nutrition into JSNA / public health strategyaction 13View action page β | Health & Equity Integration | Neutral | Cabinet | 1 | 15 Jul 2025 |
Map and support plant-protein processing infrastructure (pulses, legumes) and value chainsaction 47View action page β | Supply Chain & Infrastructure | Neutral | Council | 1 | 26 May 2022 |
No new large-scale industrial fishing vessels; limit/phase-down industrial fishing capacityaction 73View action page β | Fisheries Policy: PBT Relinquish | Neutral | Services, Climate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 1 | 03 Mar 2025 |
Plant-based default in school meals; revise school food standards to require plant-based optionsaction 29View action page β | National Advocacy | Neutral | Council | 1 | 26 May 2022 |
Prevent conversion of cropland to animal feed crops (feed maize/soya)action 36View action page β | Planning & Regulation: RELINQUISH | Neutral | CabinetCouncilPlanning | 3 | 23 Mar 2026 |
Public awareness campaigns for food transition (reduce meat/dairy, plant-rich)action 45View action page β | Public Engagement & Education | Neutral | Council | 1 | 26 May 2022 |
Urban biodiversity programme (trees, wildflowers, green roofs, wildlife corridors, green community projects)action 61View action page β | Urban Nature & Biodiversity: RESTORE | Neutral | CabinetCouncilPerformance, Assets and Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Committee+2 | 96 | 25 Mar 2026 |
Under consideration
soft-lane signal β not yet formally adoptedPlanning framework: food-system land use in planning guidanceProposed5 docs24 Mar 2026
Plant-based options offered in council catering/venues (non-default)Recommended3 docs24 Mar 2026
Adopt a funded Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) programme for climate mitigation/adaptation with measurable targetsUnder consultation3 docs24 Mar 2026
Urban biodiversity programme (trees, wildflowers, green roofs, wildlife corridors, green community projects)Deferred3 docs23 Mar 2026
Plant-based catering requirements for major venues & eventsRecommended2 docs26 May 2022
Divestment from animal agriculture / livestock-heavy investmentsRecommended2 docs24 Mar 2026
Detected by pattern matching in agendas, work programmes, and meeting records. Confidence β₯ 0.55 Β· β₯ 2 documents Β· not yet showing as formally supported.
Data last published: 13 Jun 2026, 03:41 BSTΒ· pbt_v2
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