Geoff Ridgway: Town Hall flags will be lowered marking funeral of 'thoughtful and caring' former mayor

Peterborough City Council (PCC) will lower its flags on Wednesday, 24 May, to mark the funeral of former mayor Geoff Ridgway.

Mr Ridgway, 95, who was Mayor of Peterborough from 1991–2, also served as a councillor for more than 40 years between the 1960s and 2000s.

Tributes have been paid to the “extremely thoughtful and caring man” who had a “passion for Peterborough”.

Current council leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West), said that he’s “extremely saddened” to hear of Mr Ridgway's recent passing.

“Geoff was a true professional who dedicated many years of service to the council,” he said.

“He left the authority just a couple of years after I joined as a councillor back in 2006. In the time that I worked with him his passion for Peterborough and dedication to the council was clear to see.

“I am extremely saddened to hear of Geoff’s passing. We will be sending a formal Letter of Condolence to his family and plan to lower flags outside the Town Hall on the day of his funeral.”

Like Cllr Fitzgerald, Mr Ridgway was a Conservative councillor who served West ward for much of his career, although he also served other wards during his decades of service.

By the time he retired from the council in 2008, he was cabinet member for education, something he was deeply involved in during his life, serving as Chair of Governors at Jack Hunt School for more than a decade.

PCC is still living with the “results of his hard work”, Cllr David Over (Conservatives, Barnack), one of the council's longest-serving members said.

“I am very sad to hear of the news of his death,” Cllr Over said. "We were fellow councillors at Peterborough since the days of the district council."

“Geoff was an excellent cabinet member and had a good grasp of the funding of the council and where it was spent. He was an extremely thoughtful, listening and caring man, and did so much for the city, but in a quiet way that wasn’t necessarily recognised at the time.

“We are living, to some extent, over the last few years, with the results of his hard work.”

Cllr Over continued that Mr Ridgway, a Baker Perkins engineer during his career and husband to June Ridgway, was a “member of a variety of voluntary organisations” including one that recently extended its support to Ukraine.

“He was a very quiet, private man and you’d never know if he was involved in things or not – but he was,” Cllr Over said.

Mr Ridgway grew up in Birmingham in the 1930–40s before moving to Peterborough where he was a Director at Baker Perkins for nearly 40 years.

His funeral will be held at 1pm at Longthorpe Church before a committal at Peterborough Crematorium at 2pm the same day (24 May).

Cards or letters of condolence can be sent to Paula D'Arcy at 16 Bolsover Hill, Bolsover, Chesterfield, S44 6BG.

Flowers can be sent to John Lucas Funeral Directors, 31 Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough PE1 3AD.