History in the making as youngest ever Mayor prepares to take office
COUNCILLOR IS ALSO FIRST ASIAN WOMAN TO HOLD ROLE
HISTORY will be made in Kirklees’ 50th year as the borough’s youngest ever and first female Asian Mayor takes office.
Councillor Nosheen Dad has spent the past year serving as Deputy Mayor to current Mayor of Kirklees, Cllr Cahal Burke (Lindley, Lib Dem). On Wednesday, May 22, a Mayor Making Ceremony will be held where she will take up her new role, and she will be joined by her husband Shiraz, who will be the Mayor’s Consort.
Elected as a Labour councillor for the Dewsbury South ward in 2015, Cllr Dad, 34, has sat on the council’s Appeal Panel and been appointed to outside bodies including the Walker and Greenwood Educational Charity and the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE).
She said: “I’ve had a fantastic year as Deputy Mayor meeting many fantastic people across Kirklees.
“I am truly humbled and honoured to be the youngest and first female Asian Mayor of our great district. I hope to amplify the voices of everyone in Kirklees, to celebrate the work, community cohesion and the selflessness of people that sometimes goes unnoticed.
“I am looking forward to meeting many individuals and groups that make Kirklees a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
Joining the Civic Team as Deputy Mayor for 2024/25 will be Cllr Elizabeth Smaje (Con) who was elected to the Birstall and Birkenshaw ward in 2004.
Councillor Smaje chairs the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, West Yorkshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and is joint chair of the Calderdale and Kirklees Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
She said: “It is an honour to be joining the civic team in the important role of Deputy Mayor. I look forward to supporting the Mayor during her term in office and to meeting people and groups in the many communities throughout the borough.”