Former mayor of Cambridge George Pippas resigns from city council due to ill health

alex.spencer@iliffemedia.co.uk

Published: 11:32, 07 August 2020

| Updated: 13:19, 07 August 2020

A former mayor of Cambridge has resigned from the city council due to ill health saying "My body is telling me I should take time off to give it a chance to recover."

Lib Dem city councillor Mr Pippas, an engineer, entrepreneur and active local philanthropist, has served on the council for nine years and was made mayor in 2017.

But after suffering a serious heart problem for the past 12 months he has now taken the decision to stand down from his role in a bid to regain his health, leaving a vacancy for a councillor in Queen Edith ward.

Cambridge Great Get together, Meadows Community Centre, Impington in 2017. Mayor George Pippas with Food Cycle outreach co-ordinator Alex Collis (c). .Pic: Vikki Lince.

Mr Pippas wrote in his resignation letter to Antoinette Jackson, chief executive of Cambridge City Council: “Shortly after the May 2019 election I have been having serious health problems. I have pushed myself to finish my term in May 2020, not been certain if I would be well enough to stand for re-election.

“During the end of May Last year, I had a seven-hour heart operation which unfortunately did not go as well as expected and in November I spent a week in hospital, re admitted in April this year, back in hospital on the 22 of July and I just came out of the hospital today.

“My body is telling me I should take time off to give it a chance to recover and so has the hospital who have asked me to be re admitted on the 25th of August. Even though I would love to carry on I must take care of my health.

“I have therefore decided to resign from my position as a Cambridge City Councillor effective immediately to take time off to regain my health.

Setting off on the traditional Mayor's Day Out, Great Yarmouth. From left George Pippas – Mayor of Cambridge, and John Woodhouse. Picture: Keith Heppell.

“I have served diligently the Cambridge City Council since May 2011 in various posts and I want to thank all the officers and all the fellow Councillors for their support.”

Mr Pippas was born in the village of Paliometocho in Cyprus and served for three years as an officer in the Cypriot National Guard. He then came to the UK to study electronic engineering at CCAT, the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology – one of the institutions that later became part of Anglia Ruskin University. He was made an honorary fellow of ARU in 2018.

In happier times. Mayor's Day Out, Great Yarmouth, from left Mayoress Anna Pippas, Niamh Payne, Olympia Georgiou, Margaret Scrivner, Kerry Robinson-Payne – Mayor of Hunstanton, George Pippas – Mayor of Cambridge, and John Woodhouse. Picture: Keith Heppell.

During his time as Mayor, Mr Pippas chose to support two charities - Centre 33, which provides confidential support to young people in Cambridgeshire, and The Sick Children’s Trust, based at Addenbrooke’s, for whom George has raised over £15,000 – a new mayoral record.

Following his resignation there will now be a vacancy for a councillor in Queen Edith ward. However, the law has been amended to prevent any elections being held during the current coronavirus pandemic. This means that the vacancy will remain open until the next scheduled elections, which are due on 6 May 2021.

A city council statement said: “If the current law changes, allowing any by-election to go ahead before next May, the poll will be publicised as usual.”

Cambridge Elections Politics Alex Spencer