Local Democracy Reporter - CambridgeshireLive; Maternity Cover

Company Description

Do you want to shine a light on the daily decisions of councils, to ensure politicians keep their promises and to break essential stories about public interest issues? We are looking for someone to join us at Cambridgeshire Live as a Local Democracy Reporter to live and breathe the decisions being made by Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire.

From the state of roads to local schools to new recycling services, every one of us is affected by the decisions that councils make. You will be part of a team of 165 reporters working throughout the UK to hold local authorities to account through a BBC-supported service. Your work will mean that everyone in Cambridgeshire will get to hear about what their council is doing in their name.

If you’re a politically-minded reporter ready to hold power to account and search for brilliant, engaging stories for our audience then this is the position for you!

This role is primarily home based (monthly office day in Cambridge plus occasional days in Canary Wharf). Due to the nature of the position, it is essential to be based in or around Cambridgeshire and be able to attend regular council meetings.

This is a maternity cover fixed term contract role, initially for 12 months, starting in April 2026.

Hello, we’re Reach. Every day, our trusted news, stories and content connect with millions of people where they live - whether that’s on their social feed or at their neighbourhood newsstand; through their local community or their take on the hot topic of the day. We're home to more than 120 trusted brands - from household names like the Mirror, Express, Daily Star and Daily Record, to local titles like the Manchester Evening News, MyLondon, Belfast Live and brands making a splash in the US like the Irish Star.

It's our ability to understand people and the things that matter to them that makes us the UK and Ireland's largest commercial news publisher. We reach 70% of the UK's online population and speak to over 100 million social followers around the world. And we’re just getting started…

As a modern media organisation, we're much more than just news. And it takes a wide range of people and skills to serve diverse audiences, customers and communities like we do. We know everyone has their own story to tell, so we’ve built an environment where every background is respected and every day is a day to explore. We’ll help you build a career that works with your life, while giving you the space to create and grow.

• A day in the life of a Local Democracy Reporter looks like this
• You’ll be covering the key business of Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire
  , as well as the political and social issues affecting these communities
• Making sure you cover the council meetings and key decisions in a timely manner
• You will build contacts, understand and explore the key issues, write features and break exclusives with your work having the potential to also be shown on the BBC Homepage and used by other local media partners

• You are an NCTJ or NQJ qualified journalist, ideally with 100wpm shorthand skills (or be currently working towards this), with an understanding and interest in the issues of your local community
• Previous experience reporting on local government/councils is desirable
• You have the ability to pull the stories out of the local council meetings that our readers want to know about
• A good knowledge of social media and how you can use it to grow and engage our audience and engagement from the people in your area is an advantage
• You’re interested in local councils, keen to ensure transparency and integrity in local government and making sure local communities are heard
• You have excellent knowledge of Cambridgeshire and have a solid understanding of the patch you will be covering

We take good care of our people - and that means more than just a pay packet. Whatever your role, you'll get a range…