THE Mayor of Winchester Derek Green has resigned from the post.

Cllr Green had been on a period of leave and not fulfilled any mayoral duties since the autumn.

His resignation was revealed this afternoon with the publication of the agenda and papers for the next Council meeting on Thursday February 23.

The reason for his prolonged absence is unclear and the city council has declined to clarify.

The council will have to elect a replacement to serve for the remainder of the mayoral year which ends in May.

In his absence the deputy mayor Cllr Angela Clear had often been standing in. Former mayor Dominc Hiscock represented him at the Mayor's Quiz at Winchester Rugby Club last Thursday.

The council agenda said: "Following an extended period of personal leave, Cllr Derek Green has decided to resign from the Office of Mayor of Winchester. Council is therefore invited to elect a Mayor of Winchester for the remainder of the current Municipal Year 2022/2023."

Both the city council press office and council leader Martin Tod had declined to comment on the issue.

There had been increasing concern about the mayor's absence. A council spokeswoman did say that Cllr Green was not the subject of an inquiry conducted by the standards committee which met in private on January 27.

Cllr Green has not responded to Chronicle approaches for comment.

He has represented the St Luke's ward, mainly covering Stanmore, since 2012. He was first elected as a Conservative but switched to the Liberal Democrats. He has also been the longstanding chairman of the Winchester branch of the Royal British Legion.

Cllr Green, who is in his 60s and a well-liked local figure, has lived in Stanmore for decades.

His four-year term as a councillor expires this May and it is unclear whether he will stand for election again.

A friend, who asked not to be named, said: "The city council should have put out a statement about what has caused the mayor to disappear. They have tried to sweep it under the carpet."

The last meeting that Cllr Green attended was a full Council on October 5.