Councillor Faduma Mohamed has been inaugurated as Mayor of Ealing, taking on the borough’s civic role with a pledge to bring residents together across communities, faiths and neighbourhoods.
Her appointment was confirmed at the annual meeting of the full council on Tuesday 26 May. As mayor, she will represent Ealing at civic and community events, chair full council meetings and support local causes during her year in office.
Faduma Mohamed takes on Ealing’s civic role
Councillor Mohamed, who represents Southall West, becomes Ealing’s first British Somali mayor wearing a hijab. She served as deputy mayor last year and now succeeds Councillor Anthony Kelly.
The new mayor will be supported by her father, Ahmed Mohamed. Councillor Ghulam Murtaza has been appointed deputy mayor.
Council leader Peter Mason described Councillor Mohamed as a dedicated representative for Southall and said her mayoralty would carry symbolic weight in a borough shaped by migration, faith communities and long-established neighbourhood ties.
For residents, the mayoralty is not an executive political post in the same way as a council leader or cabinet member. It is a civic role: attending local events, chairing ceremonial council business, representing the borough and often giving visibility to voluntary organisations that work outside the spotlight.
London borough mayoralties often pass quietly from one councillor to another. This one has drawn wider attention because of Councillor Mohamed’s personal journey and what her appointment represents for communities that have not always seen themselves reflected in civic office.
Munisha has also reported on another recent London mayoral milestone, when Hackney elected its first Green Party mayor, showing how borough-level roles can carry local political and symbolic meaning.
From Southall school days to the mayoral chain
Councillor Mohamed arrived in Southall aged 11 after fleeing the war in Somalia. According to the council, she spoke no English when she first came to the area.
She has credited teachers, particularly an English teacher at Dormers Wells High School who gave up lunch breaks to help her learn, as part of the support that helped her through those early years.
That background now forms part of the public story of her mayoralty. She said she felt proud and honoured to become the first British Somali wearing a hijab to hold the role, and said she wanted to be an example to girls and women who see themselves in her journey.
“It’s an amazing responsibility to take on, but it’s also a privilege,” she said. “I want to make everyone proud and be an example to many communities especially girls and women who look like me. Representation matters.”
Unity, faith visits and everyday encounters
Councillor Mohamed said her year will focus on inclusion, community cohesion and opportunities for young people. She also said she wants to support grassroots organisations working across Ealing.
Her remarks placed emphasis on ordinary encounters as much as formal ceremonies. She said she wanted to connect with communities across every corner of the borough, whether attending a church event, visiting a temple or mosque, or meeting someone experiencing homelessness.
The choice of language matters in a borough such as Ealing, where local identity is spread across places including Southall, Acton, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Ealing town itself. Civic work often depends on showing up in small settings: community halls, school events, charity fundraisers, faith spaces and community projects.
Councillor Mohamed said those conversations resonate with her because shared experiences connect people. That gives her mayoralty a clear public-facing theme: using the ceremonial platform to make different parts of the borough more visible to one another.
Two Southall-linked charities chosen for support
As mayor, Councillor Mohamed will raise funds for Hope for Southall Street Homeless and Stepping Stones Together UK.
Hope for Southall Street Homeless supports people experiencing homelessness through outreach, emergency help and a day centre. Stepping Stones Together UK works with individuals and families through community support, advice services and wellbeing projects.
Mayoral charity appeals can help smaller organisations reach donors and volunteers who may not otherwise come across their work. In this case, the focus is on vulnerable residents, family support and services rooted close to Councillor Mohamed’s Southall base.
The year ahead will now put those causes alongside the mayor’s wider civic calendar, from formal council meetings to community events across Ealing.
Source: Ealing Council
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This article is based on Ealing Council’s published account of the mayoral inauguration and associated civic roles.
- Checked the inauguration date against the source item: Tuesday 26 May.
- Matched named roles for Councillor Faduma Mohamed, Councillor Ghulam Murtaza and Peter Mas...
- Kept the mayoral duties limited to civic and ceremonial responsibilities described in the...
- Verified the chosen mayoral charities from the source text before including them.
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- Around Ealing
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- 2026-05-28 10:15
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