The new lord mayor was born in Mogadishu and came to Bristol over two decades ago.
A former refugee who fled war in Somalia has become the lord mayor of Bristol and will represent Bristol City Council for the next year. The lord mayor is largely a ceremonial role and acts as a figurehead for the city council as well as playing a key part in citizenship ceremonies.
Green Councillor Yassin Mohamud was sworn in as lord mayor for the new civic year during a full council meeting on Tuesday, May 12. The “first citizen” of Bristol stays in post for a year, and is chosen by other councillors. They chair full council meetings and attend a range of events.
Speaking during the meeting, he said he wanted to use the platform to celebrate Bristol’s diversity and celebrate the different cultures and faiths in the city. He added that serving as lord mayor was the “greatest privilege of my life”.
Cllr Mohamud said: “It’s a deep honour to stand before you today as the first lord mayor of Somali origin in Bristol. I look forward to serving all of Bristol over the next year.”
The lord mayor was born in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, and grew up in the south of the country. He later worked in the government’s plant protection department, before fleeing the war there and coming to Bristol with his family. They now live in St Jude’s. He was first elected as a councillor in 2021, representing the ward of Lawrence Hill, and was then re-elected in 2024.
He added: “Like so many people who arrive in a new country, the transition was not easy. But luckily for me, the city I arrived in was Bristol. Moving to a country is a great challenge: you must learn a new language and new customs, and work out unfamiliar systems. You must find schools for your children, a job, and most importantly, find community.
“Like many people in our city, my understanding of politics did not begin in a formal setting. It came from my lived experience of moving to Bristol. It came from seeing how decisions affect everyday life, the quality of housing, the safety of streets, the opportunities available to young people, and whether communities feel seen and heard.”
Following the Barton House evacuation in 2023, he worked with colleagues to push for changes that better support residents affected by unsafe housing conditions, and has supported efforts to reopen and protect community spaces in tower blocks.
The outgoing lord mayor was Conservative Cllr Henry Michallat, who will become the deputy lord mayor for this year. Colleagues praised his “wisdom above his years”, while he said he had attended more than 420 events over the course of last year, and oversaw more than 1,200 people becoming British citizens.
Cllr Michallat said: “One of my highlights was championing my theme as lord mayor: supporting the arts, culture and history of the city. It was great to go to so many historic institutions across our city, as well as lots of music venues. I particularly enjoyed sitting through the amateur dramatics performance of Les Mis in my chain, that was very good.
“It was also an honour to represent Bristol on the world stage. In March I went to Guangzhou in China and met the mayor and various politicians and people within the local community, as we approach our 25th anniversary of our twinning relationship. In April I went to Bordeaux in France and met the deputy mayor at their City Hall, ahead of our 80th anniversary of our twinning.”
source/content: bristolpost.co.uk (headline edited)
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Cllr Yassin Mohamud outside of Bristol City Hall (Image: Bristol Green Party)
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BRITISH / SOMALIAN
