Former Somali refugee becomes Bristol lord mayor, calls it greatest privilege

By: Alex Seabrook Local democracy reporterThursday May 14, 2026

A refugee who escaped conflict in Somalia is now set to spend the coming year as Bristol’s lord mayor, taking on the city’s ceremonial top job and serving as one of its most visible public figures.

Cllr Yassin Mohamud outside of Bristol City Hall (Image: Bristol Green Party)

Green councillor Yassin Mohamud was installed as lord mayor for the new civic year at a full council meeting on Tuesday, May 12. The role is largely ceremonial, but it carries symbolic weight as the council’s “first citizen” and includes chairing full council meetings, attending events and helping lead citizenship ceremonies.

Speaking to councillors, he said he wanted to use the position to champion Bristol’s diversity and celebrate the city’s many cultures and faiths. He described the appointment as 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.”

Born in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, and raised in the country’s south, he once worked in the government’s plant protection department before war forced him to leave. He later arrived in Bristol with his family, who now live in St Jude’s. First elected as councillor for Lawrence Hill in 2021, he secured re-election 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.”

After the Barton House evacuation in 2023, he worked alongside colleagues to press for changes to better protect residents living with unsafe housing conditions, and he has also backed efforts to reopen and safeguard community spaces in tower blocks.

Outgoing lord mayor Conservative Cllr Henry Michallat will now become deputy lord mayor for the year ahead. Fellow councillors praised his “wisdom above his years”, and he said he had attended more than 420 events over the past year while overseeing 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.”