New Mayor of Peterborough officially installed

Cllr Cereste was elected as the city’s first citizen at the annual meeting on Peterborough City Council on Monday evening (May 20).

By convention, Peterborough’s Mayor is elected each year based on the number of years a councillor- who has not previously been Mayor- has served.

Cllr Cereste has been a councillor for 20 years, with six of those years spent as Leader of the Council and the last six years as a ward councillor for Hampton Vale.

Cllr Cereste is believed to be the first person of Italian ethnicity to be elected Mayor of a British city.

During the meeting it was also confirmed that former Council Leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald will be Deputy Mayor for 2024-25 with Angie Fenner as his Consort. Maddalena Cereste will be Mayoress.

Cllr Cereste has replaced outgoing Mayor Nick Sandford who lost his seat in May after a shock result in his Paston and Walton ward by just five votes.

Cllr Cereste said: “I am absolutely delighted to be elected as Mayor of Peterborough and really looking forward to the unique challenge ahead. I aim to get heavily involved with our amazing communities and attend a wide range of activities and events over the coming year.

“The position of Mayor is critical to fostering a welcoming and friendly culture in the city, and it’s an honour to contribute to this long-standing tradition. I would like to thank all those who have supported me so far, with a particular mention to the councillors who elected me for this prestigious role.”

Cllr Cereste arrived in England in 1953 on Coronation Day and proceeded to have a 25-year-long career with the NHS. He has been a councillor for 20 years, with six of those years spent as Leader of the council and the last six years as a ward councillor for Hampton Vale.

He was Chair of the Italian Community Association for 40 years, with the Italian government awarding him three major honours: in 2001 he was awarded the rank of "Cavaliere" (Italian Knight) and in 2002 he was awarded the rank of "Cavaliere Ufficiale" (Officer Knight) both in the Order of Merit. More recently he was awarded one of Italy's highest honours La Stella Doro Della Soledarieta Italiana, First Class.

Cllr Cereste has an Honorary Degree from Anglia Ruskin University and, in his spare time, he enjoys restoring Samurai swords.

The night also saw Cllr Dennis Jones- Leader of the Labour Group- elected as the new Leader of the Council.

Cllr Jones took over from former leader Cllr Mohammed Farooq after his resignation. He was voted in with 20 votes in favour with 13 councillors voting against him and a further 25 councillors abstaining.