Tameside's first Muslim mayor hopes to use role to 'open doors for many'

A councillor who has become a borough's first Muslim mayor has said she hopes she will "open doors for many".

Tafheen Sharif, who has also become the first person from an ethnic minority group to be mayor, was handed Tameside's chains of office on Tuesday.

The Labour councillor said her appointment showed the area was "a welcoming and diverse place".

Councillor Jacqueline North, who nominated Ms Sharif, said it was a "proud moment" for the borough.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the new mayor told councillors it was "a real honour and privilege for me to be representing so many people in so many ways as the first citizen of Tameside, a home I have come to love".

She said her appointment was "symbolic of Tameside being a welcoming and diverse place where people are judged on their qualities" and she wanted to use her time as mayor to "open doors for many and bring our flourishing communities closer together".

Ms North told the meeting it was a "proud moment in the history of the borough", adding: "A commitment to civic duty has long been a part of Taf's life, breaking down many barriers along the way."

She said Ms Sharif had previously fought off "inappropriate" planning applications, helped resolve education and housing issues, lobbied for better bus services and was an "inspiration to women".

Councillor Eleanor Wills, who seconded the nomination, said she was a "fantastic role model", who represented "not only women, but women within the Muslim community [and] women within ethnic minorities".

Ms Sharif, who represents Mossley ward, became an elected councillor in 2011 in Luton and then deputy police and crime commissioner for Bedfordshire, before moving to Tameside when she got married.

She was elected as a councillor in Mossley in 2016 and also serves as a justice of the peace and a school governor.

Her husband Dr Faisal Parvez will be her consort for the coming mayoral year.

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