City names new Lord Mayor, calling appointment a ‘deep honour’
Yassin Mohamud said he intended to "use this platform to bring people together" Bristol’s incoming Lord Mayor has called the appointment a "deep honour", saying he wants to help "ensure that every community feels recognised and valued" in...
Bea SwallowThursday April 9, 2026
Yassin Mohamud said he intended to “use this platform to bring people together”
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Bristol’s incoming Lord Mayor has called the appointment a “deep honour”, saying he wants to help “ensure that every community feels recognised and valued” in the city.
Yassin Mohamud, elected as Green councillor for Lawrence Hill in 2021, is set to take up Bristol City Council’s ceremonial mayoral post in May.
The position rotates between the council’s four largest political groups. He will take over from Conservative councillor Henry Michillat, who is due to become Deputy Lord Mayor.
Mohamud, who arrived in the UK from Somalia more than 20 years ago, said his political awareness of social issues was shaped by “lived experience”.
He has lived with his family in St Jude’s for the past 15 years.
Over that time, he said he became “increasingly aware” that some parts of the city, including Lawrence Hill, were “facing persistent inequalities yet often felt overlooked”.
After the Barton House evacuation in 2023, he worked with colleagues to press for changes aimed at better supporting residents affected by unsafe housing conditions.
He has also backed campaigns to reopen and safeguard community spaces in tower blocks, alongside work on fly tipping, safer streets and addressing racial inequality.
“Like many people in our city, my understanding of politics did not begin in a formal setting; it came from lived experience,” Mohamud said.
“It came from seeing how decisions affect everyday life: the quality of housing, the safety of our streets, the opportunities available to young people, and whether communities feel seen and heard.”
The Lord Mayor of Bristol chairs meetings of the full council and undertakes about 800 engagements each year during a one-year term.
‘Opportunity to thrive”
“It is a deep honour to be stepping into the role,” he said.
“I want to use this platform to bring people together, to celebrate the diversity and strength of our city, and to ensure that every community feels recognised and valued.
“Above all, I remain grounded in the same principles that brought me into public service: to listen, to serve, and to work with the people of Bristol to build a city where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”