A FORMER Colchester mayor is set to step down from Colchester Council next year after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

Mike Hogg, 71, has represented the St Anne’s and St John’s wards for 32 years.

But Mr Hogg, a Liberal Democrat who served as mayor from 2001 to 2002, said he will step down in May next year following the diagnosis.

The council stalwart said: “For someone who has lived his life at 100 mph the past 50 years the diagnosis has been a real wake up call for me and my family.

It has been a difficult past three months coming to terms with the physical changes taking place that I have no control over.”

Mr Hogg said he was determined to keep a positive outlook on life.

“I find myself in good company with some famous and not so famous individuals such as Billy Connolly and Michael J Fox who have taken a positive response to the situation they and now I find ourselves in,” he said.

“So it’s got to be take the drugs, do the exercises and get on with my life in both politics and family, it is my intention to see out my term of office which ends May 2020.”

Mr Hogg said he plans to see out his term of office which ends in May 2020 and will be supporting his partner, fellow Lib Dem councillor Helen Chuah as she runs for re-election in May.