Stoke-on-Trent’s youngest Lord Mayor appointed
The youngest Lord Mayor in Stoke-on-Trent’s history as a city has been appointed.
Councillor Faisal Hussain, a local business man who represents the Meir South ward, has officially become the city’s 96th Lord Mayor. The 29-year-old has served as the Deputy Lord Mayor since May 2021. First elected back in May 2019, he had humble beginnings being raised by his mother in a council property in Birmingham, before eventually moving to Stoke-on-Trent when he was 11-years-old. He is a self-employed businessman who is director of a small transport company.
He was appointed in a ceremony during Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s annual council meeting, in the council chamber in Stoke. Councillor Hussain is one of the youngest Lord Mayor’s the country has ever seen, and he is looking forward to his time as Stoke-on-Trent’s first citizen.
Lord Mayor Faisal Hussain
He said: “It’s an absolutely amazing feeling to be the youngest Lord Mayor of this city ever. When I was a young boy I met the Lord Mayor of the city at the time and was mesmerised by him, it was in that moment I knew I wanted to emulate him and also become Lord Mayor. In my role I want to bring in new, fresh ideas and innovative ways of bringing communities together from all age groups and from all backgrounds. I believe that age should not be a barrier to any role in society and I hope that I can inspire many people out there, that if you work hard for something you want, you will succeed.
“I am so proud to be able to represent my city and I’m hopeful in bringing communities from all backgrounds together to help build a prosperous future here in Stoke-on-Trent. I want to do whatever I can to raise the profile of this great city, especially after all the difficulties we have seen over the past couple of years due to the pandemic. I would like to bring positive change in the city and contribute in ways that would highlight that Stoke-on-Trent is one of the best cities in the UK.”
The new Lord Mayor’s chosen charities for the duration of his civic year in office are Brighter Futures and The Hubb Foundation.
Helena Evans, chief executive of Brighter Futures, said: “We are extremely grateful and our thanks go to the Lord Mayor for selecting us as one of his charities for the year, and for the interest taken to understand more about our mission to support people experiencing multiple disadvantage living in Stoke-on-Trent. Brighter Futures is a not-for-profit supported housing association which has operated in Stoke-on-Trent since 1974 providing a diverse range of support services and accommodation within Stoke-on-Trent and across the West Midlands. We support adults who have experienced a long history of mental health difficulties, have a learning disability/difficulty, may have been homeless, have multiple and complex needs and who may be living with trauma.
“We look forward to working together with the Lord Mayor. Being one of the Lord Mayor’s selected charities will enable us to provide additional support to our customers and local communities. The help of organisations like Brighter Futures is needed more than ever following the pandemic, cost-of-living increases, and other difficulties that have presented over recent years which all significantly impact upon a person’s health and wellbeing.”
Adam Yates, chief operations officer for the Hubb Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be chosen as one of the Lord Mayor’s charities. This will give The Hubb Foundation opportunities to offer further support to the children and families in our city and to further enhance our reputation. Being chosen also offers much needed opportunities to fundraise and work with other organisations so that we become stronger as a city. The Lord Mayor has a reputation for community work and support for families, which is in direct correlation with our aims and objectives as a charity, and his hard work and dedication is admirable.”
Councillor Hussain is a fourth generation British Kashmiri, who inherited his hard-working ethic from his grandfathers who came to help build Britain after the Second World War. He lives with his wife Nazma and their three children. Nazma is the city’s new Lady Mayoress. Councillor Lesley Adams was appointed as Deputy Lord Mayor at the annual council meeting. She represents the Burslem Park ward.
Follow BabaBaboon on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Read more LOCAL News on BabaBaboon here & please sign up to our Newsletter
