Who is the current mayor of bradford england
1. Who holds the mayoralty and how that title is used in Bradford
The civic incumbent is Councillor Mohammed Shafiq, who was formally appointed as Lord Mayor of Bradford for 2025/26 by the council [1]; local and national outlets reported on his installation and ceremonial speech, referring to him consistently as the Lord Mayor [2] [3]. Bradford’s ceremonial leader carries the historic title of Lord Mayor rather than being a directly elected executive mayor, a distinction rooted in the city’s mayoral traditions and municipal governance arrangements [4].
2. What the appointment process and role involve
The appointment of the Lord Mayor is made by elected councillors at the council’s annual meeting, a procedural decision recorded in council minutes and decisions [1]; the role is primarily ceremonial and community-facing rather than an executive mandate to run council operations, which is consistent with Bradford’s governance that rejected a directly elected mayor in a 2012 referendum [4]. Coverage of Shafiq’s year in office emphasized civic duties, charity patronage and community representation rather than policy leadership, reflecting the conventional duties attached to a lord mayoralty [2].
3. Background on Mohammed Shafiq as context for the office
Reporting and the council’s biography note that Councillor Shafiq represents Bradford Moor, is a Labour councillor and a social worker by profession, and that his life story — arriving in the UK at age 12 and learning English while building a public-service career — formed part of his inaugural remarks as Lord Mayor [2] [3] [5]. Local coverage highlighted his selection of charitable focuses for the year and his community ties, material that the council and media used to frame the symbolic and outreach aspects of the lord mayoralty [2] [5].
4. How media and official sources corroborate the fact
Multiple independent sources corroborate Shafiq’s incumbency: the formal council decision document names him as Lord Mayor for 2025/26 [1], the BBC covered his speech and installation [2], and the Bradford Telegraph & Argus provided local reportage and background [3], while Bradford Council’s own pages describe the Lord Mayor’s role and biography [5]. The convergence of council records and reputable press reporting creates a clear documentary trail for the claim that Mohammed Shafiq is Bradford’s current Lord Mayor.
5. Caveats, alternate meanings and reporting limits
It is important to distinguish the ceremonial Lord Mayor from other uses of “mayor”: Bradford does not have a directly elected executive mayor, and elsewhere “mayor of Bradford” could be invoked by foreign municipalities with similar names (e.g., Bradford, Ontario), which are unrelated to the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire — sources here specifically refer to the City of Bradford’s lord mayoralty [4] [6]. If confirmation beyond the 2025/26 municipal year is required, the council’s official pages and the council decision record should be consulted for any mid-term changes not covered by the cited reports [1] [5].