BY EVIE JONES
Newcastle's Lord Mayor, Dr Ross Kerridge, officially announced he's stepping down from the role "with great regret."
In a media statement put out this morning (Monday 9 February 2026) he explains his reasons for departure.
Dr Ross Kerridge was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in October last year, and although he was able to return to work after receiving treatment, he said side effects have caused significant challenges at work.
"In the weeks since returning to my role, it has been clear that although my cancer treatment is progressing well, the side-effects continue to be significant," he said.
"I had hoped to return to the role of Lord Mayor with renewed energy," he continued.
"Unfortunately, it has become clear that I no longer have the energy for all that is required to deal with the challenges of the role at this time."
He mentions his personal responsibilities were considered when coming to his decision, as well as comments from his co-awardee Peter Sleap and eulogies for the late Paul Scott, each of whom battled cancer at one point themselves.
"In making this decision today, I have also been influenced by Peter Sleap's comments at the recent 'Citizen of the Year' award, by the eulogies at Paul Scott's funeral last Thursday and by reflecting on the needs of my own family," he said.
Dr Ross Kerridge expressed gratitude to those who supported him.
"I thank all those who voted for me and shared a dream for better local government."
In his statement, he reflects on his reasons for joining local government.
"I ran for election to challenge the unhealthy dominance of party politics in local government and to change the direction of Council," he said.
"I called for a shift away from 'big projects' and 'big issues' to focus on core services and and community projects across the entire city."
He concluded by calling for more government attention in Newcastle and The Hunter after his withdrawal.
"Newcastle and The Hunter deserve more from State and Federal governments," he said.
"Personally, I believe that more creativity in political thinking, a diversity of candidates and more independent representation is the only way this will happen," he claimed.
"I hope that my election paves the way for other concerned citizens to seek public office in a non-partisan way."
According to guidelines set by the NSW Electoral Commission, when a mayoral position becomes vacant, the role is to be filled via a by-election, unless it occurs within 18 months of the next ordinary election.
The next local government election will occur on 9 September, 2028, meaning a by-election will be held in Dr Ross Kerridge's case.
In an interview with the ABC this morning, Dr Ross Kerridge said It'll be interesting to see what may happen in the next few months.
For now, he shared he'll be focusing on recovery.
"I'm going to take a few weeks to let the dust settle," he said.
"For the next few months I need to just focus on my working on my fitness and recovering from this whole bout of chemotherapy."
However, he also shared his intention to write a book based on his medical career, spiked on by some of the nurses at his former workplace, The John Hunter Hospital.
"I had an extraordinarily interesting medical career with a whole lot of interesting stories," he said.
"Some of the things that I was involved in I do want to document."
Former Lord Mayor Dr Ross Kerridge
