CAMBRIDGE City Council’s Leader, Cllr Anna Smith, is to take on the additional role of Statutory Deputy Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA).
As Deputy Mayor she will temporarily lead the CPCA while the Mayor, Nik Johnson, takes a leave of absence for ongoing medical treatment. Cllr Smith will assume the statutory responsibilities of the Mayor for the duration of his absence. She replaces Cllr Lewis Herbert as the council’s representative on the CPCA Board. She will be assisted by Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, who is the CPCA’s non-statutory deputy.
Cllr Smith said: “I wish Nik well and a very speedy recovery from his operation.
“I would also like to thank Cllr Lewis Herbert for his service on the CPCA Board. He has devoted a great deal of time and effort to representing Cambridge and I am grateful for his dedication.
“It will be an honour to support the CPCA as Deputy Mayor while Nik is away and I am looking forward to working with all members of the combined authority on the challenging agenda before us.”
During this time Cllr Smith will continue in her role as Leader of the city council. Cllr Smith added: “As Leader of the city council I remain focused on delivering our priorities of making Cambridge a fairer city that is addressing the climate change and biodiversity emergencies and the cost-of-living crisis.”
Deputy leaders Cllr Alex Collis (statutory deputy) and Cllr Mike Davey (non-statutory) will temporarily take on some additional duties while Cllr Smith is working with the CPCA.
Cllr Smith was appointed Leader of Cambridge City Council in December of last year at a special meeting of the full council.
In that position she leads the council’s work to deliver on its commitments to tackle poverty and inequality, the city’s response to the climate change emergency and to provide quality services for residents.
She is also steering the council’s ambitious transformation programme, Our Cambridge, which is focused on building a better, more sustainable council. The programme is bringing council staff together to identify and implement changes to make the council more efficient and best deliver its vision of One Cambridge – Fair For All.
