Getting started in Cambridge
Straight answers to the questions new arrivals keep asking — which council does what, bins, registering with a GP or dentist, council tax, parking permits, cycling, Park & Ride and the hosepipe ban.
Cambridge takes in thousands of new arrivals every year — students, researchers, new hires and their families — so the same practical questions come up again and again. These are straight answers, checked against the official pages on 13 July 2026. Where a rule is due to change, we say so.
Which council do I actually deal with?
Two councils split the job. Cambridge City Council handles bins and recycling, council tax bills, the city car parks, planning and environmental health: https://www.cambridge.gov.uk
Cambridgeshire County Council handles roads and potholes, schools, adult and children's social care, libraries, flooding, and on-street resident parking permits: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk
The elected mayor of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority handles strategic transport across the wider area. Note: the government plans to merge these into new 'unitary' councils around 2027–2028, so this may change.
When are my bins collected, and which bin is which?
Blue is recycling, black is general waste, and green is garden waste — black and blue are collected on alternating weeks, green seasonally. Put bins out by 6am; if one is missed you can report it from 3:30pm that day.
Find your exact collection days by postcode here: https://www.greatercambridgewaste.org/find-your-bin-collection-day
Your first green bin is free; extra ones are a paid yearly subscription. Weekly food-waste caddies are being rolled out to every household through 2026 — you'll get an indoor and an outdoor caddy, collected on your normal bin day.
How do I register with a GP?
You can register with a local GP surgery for free, and you do not need proof of address, ID, or immigration status to do it — if you have no fixed address you can use a temporary address or the surgery's own. If a surgery refuses to register you it has to tell you why in writing within 14 days.
Start here: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/how-to-register-with-a-gp-surgery/
The main hospital for the area is Addenbrooke's (Cambridge University Hospitals), on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus south of the city.
Can I get an NHS dentist?
Honestly, it's hard right now: the large majority of dental practices across Cambridgeshire are not taking on new adult NHS patients, and many people end up paying privately or travelling. It's worth ringing round anyway, as practices open their books from time to time.
Find practices and check who's accepting NHS patients: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist
For urgent dental problems (pain, swelling, bleeding) call NHS 111 — they can arrange emergency treatment even if you're not registered.
What's my council tax, and who do I pay?
Cambridge City Council sends the bill, but it's shared between six bodies — the county, the city, the police, the fire service, an adult-social-care charge and the mayor. For 2026/27 a Band D home pays about £2,467 for the year.
Our council tax tool breaks it down by band and shows where each pound goes: /cambridge-england-gb/council-tax
Not sure of your band? Check it on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands
Do I need a resident parking permit?
If you park on-street in one of the city's residents' parking zones, yes. These are run by Cambridgeshire County Council (not the city council), and permits are now virtual — you apply and pay online through the MiPermit system, with proof that you live there and that the car is insured.
Check whether your street is in a zone and apply here: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/parking-services/resident-parking-schemes/cambridge-resident-parking-schemes
The price depends on the zone, so check the current figure on that page rather than relying on an old amount.
The city runs on bikes — what should I know?
Cambridge has one of the highest rates of cycling in the country, and unfortunately one of the highest rates of bike theft too, so lock up well.
Register your bike for free with the police-backed national database — it makes a stolen bike much easier to return: https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/cycle-security
Report a stolen bike to Cambridgeshire police online or by calling 101: https://www.cambs.police.uk/report
There's a large covered cycle park (CyclePoint) at the railway station, but treat it as convenient rather than theft-proof — a good lock still matters.
How does Park & Ride work?
Five sites ring the city — Trumpington, Babraham Road, Madingley Road, Newmarket Road and Milton — each with a car park and a frequent electric bus into the centre run by Stagecoach. Parking is free for up to 18 hours and you pay for the bus (an adult return is around £4.50).
First and last bus times differ by site, and some run later into the evening than others, so check the live timetable for your site before you rely on a late one: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/public-transport-park-and-ride-and-guided-busway
Is there really a hosepipe ban?
Yes. Cambridge Water brought in a hosepipe ban (a 'Temporary Use Ban') that is enforceable from 1am on 17 July 2026 — the first here in about 30 years, because the chalk aquifer the city depends on is under real strain.
While it's on, you can't use a hosepipe to water the garden, wash the car, or fill a pool or hot tub — but a watering can, a bucket, and water from a water butt are all still fine. If you have a medical need or are on the Priority Services Register you can apply for an exemption.
Full details and exemptions: https://www.cambridge-water.co.uk/household/temporary-hosepipe-ban