Lord Mayor will stand down from council at elections

SHEFFIELD’S FLAMBOYANT Lord Mayor Magid Magid will stand down at the local elections in May, it has been announced.

Mr Magid yesterday revealed that will not seek re-election when his current term ends, and will leave to concentrate on new projects.

He said it had been an “absolute honour and privilege” to represent the Broomhill and Sharrow Vale ward.

Mr Magid was Sheffield Council’s first Green Party Lord Mayor and youngest at 29, and he shook up the establishment with his trainers, T-shirts and baseball caps, and his use of social media to reach out to younger voters.

He also introduced poets, musicians and comedians to entertain full council meetings and it became a tradition for him to wear a different hat as he chaired the meeting.

Mr Magid said: “One of the reasons I wanted to be a councillor was to play a more active role in my community and represent those voices that I believed weren’t being represented in the council. Meeting so many amazing people and solving problems, to then see the impact it has on people, is truly fulfilling. It has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done.”

He said Sheffield will remain at the heart of future projects, and remarked on the experience he had gained over the last couple of years that he could now build upon.

Mr Magid added: “As a result and after a lot of deliberation, I have decided not to put myself forward for selection as a candidate for the council elections in May.

“Regardless of what I do postMay, I will always have my community and Sheffield at the heart of it. I look forward to working hard as a ward councillor and Lord Mayor for the remaining months of my term.”