Leicester City Council swore in a new ‘charismatic’ Lord Mayor on Thursday afternoon in the city’s town hall.
Councillor Mustafa Kamal was appointed Lord Mayor after seventeen years as a city councilman replacing the now former Lord Mayor Abdul Osman.
During the meeting Councillor Ted Cassidy was also appointed High Bailiff while Councillor John Thomas was made Deputy Lord Mayor. Councillor Cassidy pledged his support for Lord Mayor Kamal, he said: “I feel privileged, my role is of a ceremonial nature in joining Lord Mayor and I am honoured, I look forward to working with you in the coming year.”
Originally from Ferozpur, India, Lord Mayor Kamal moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s and soon after met his wife Barbra, the couple have been married for 43 years. Councillor Sood paid tribute to Kamal stating that his ‘blend of sound judgement, sheer common sense and solid leadership’ will make him a ‘splendid Lord Mayor’.
The proceedings were led by a prayer from Councillor Osman’s spiritual adviser who condemned the tragic events in Woolwich, London and expressed hope for ‘the safety of our nation from any kind of evil and terrorism’ as well as ‘peace and harmony’.
Councillor Osman made history when he was appointed last year due to being the first mayor of Leicester belonging to the Muslim faith. It was announced that during his time as Lord Mayor, Councillor Osmon had attended 546 events with 90% occurring in the city of Leicester. He surpassed his initial target of raising £60,000 for Leicester Hospital’s stroke unit by instead raising a staggering £81,790. Lord Mayor Mustafa Kamal was delighted to reveal that his chosen charity would be Macmillan Cancer. He told the council that the loss of his mother and brother to the illness was the driving force behind the choice.
