Deputy Lord Mayor

Deputy Lord Mayor 2025-2026: Councillor Fozia Shaheen

Councillor Shaheen is a proud Bradfordian and feels privileged to serve the City and district which shaped her.

She was elected as a Labour Councillor, representing the Toller Ward in Bradford. She has served as Executive Assistant to the Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing and Education, Skills and Employment.

A Partner Governor at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, she has also served as lead voice for the Children’s Care Council and Youth Voice and is a Mental Health Champion for the district.

Cllr Shaheen studied at the University of Bradford. She is a qualified social worker and she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours, as well as an LLB (Bachelor of Laws) degree.

She was a mental health practitioner between 2021 and 2023 and in 2020 became founder and director of Dream Big, Aim High CiC. Since 2022 she has also served as Chair of the Girlington Centre in Bradford and has also served, since 2021, as an Executive Member of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

English is her first language, and she also speaks Urdu and Punjabi. Her faith is Islam which plays a major role in her life and she worships at the Mosque, Madrassa or at home.

She has travelled widely including to Pakistan, Dubai and Belgium (NATO). Councillor Shaheen relishes the opportunity to explore new places, meet new people and discover more about other cultures. She also has a keen interest in sports, particularly football and cricket. She also enjoys shopping: a pursuit of which she never tires!

Among her keen interests is supporting mental health charities, her lived experience giving her a deep understanding of how essential good quality services are for individuals and families.

Also close to her heart is serving as a board member of Roshni Ghar, a grassroots mental health charity, which plays a vital role in providing culturally sensitive mental health support to women from minority communities. This is something which Councillor Shaheen believes is crucial in delivering meaningful and effective care.

During the Civic year, she is keen to see the work of charities and the voluntary sector, and has a longstanding interest in cancer charities, those supporting people with learning disabilities, carers and those affected by domestic violence.

At the heart of all Councillor Shaheen’s work is a commitment to unity, compassion and public service and to building a district where everyone feels seen, valued and supported.

She comes from a humble background, her father was a textile worker and her mother a devoted homemaker. They both worked incredibly hard to put food on the table and to provide the family with the best life they could. Their strength, resilience and sacrifice laid the foundations for everything she is today and she honours them in all she does and carries their values with her always.

Family plays a central role in everything she does and she feels blessed to come from one which is both close-knit and supportive. In her spare time, she cherishes spending quality time with her family and friends, who form a huge part of her life.

Councillor Shaheen has no allergies, eats halal food (no gelatine or alcohol in the ingredients, please) and prefers coffee. Her favourite flowers are roses, orchids and tulips.

Deputy Lord Mayor’s Consort, Nasar Hussain

Born and raised in West Yorkshire, Nasar is proud to call himself a Yorkshire lad though-and-through.

Bradford is his home city and it is here that he completed his studies.

He has worked in the voluntary sector for over a decade, in particular as a care manager supporting individuals with learning disabilities and autism. He feels this work to be more than just a profession, it is an integral part of who he is.

Community has always been central to his life. Over the years he has helped lead and support a number of local initiatives – from organising and delivering food parcels to families in need, to creating Christmas hampers for children in care, and supporting young people to stay active and engaged. One of his proudest achievements was being recognised by the Yorkshire Cricket Board for his voluntary work in uniting people from diverse communities through cricket.

As a practicing Muslim, he attends various mosques across the district and deeply values faith, respect and togetherness. He has an abiding passion for working with people of all backgrounds, religions and cultures, and strongly believes in promoting unity, equality and diversity.

Very much a family-orientated man, he lives in the heart of Bradford with his family, in a home also shared with their beloved pets – four cats (Pantha, CJ, Chippy and Neo) and a dog named Leo.

He has enjoyed the privilege of travelling and experiencing different cultures – from the historic cities of Turkey (Istanbul and Antalya) to France, Belgium, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He greatly enjoys sightseeing and has a keen interest in history, be that in ancient civilisations, the roots of faiths, or learning about how the past has shaped the world of today. A great believer in the principle of travel broadening the mind, he enthusiastically enjoys learning new things, exploring new places and keeping up with what’s going on in the world.

A devoted ‘people person’, Nasar believes strongly in supporting people and connecting with them in order to build their independence and enhance their life skills. Nasar cares deeply about a number of local and national charities, including mental health charities, Macmillan Cancer Support and causes surrounding dementia and children’s wellbeing.

He eats halal food (no alcohol or gelatine in the ingredients, please) and prefers tea.