‘There will never be another Lord Mayor like him’: Sheffield Council says goodbye to Magid

Labour’s Tony Downing has now taken on the role after an official ceremony in which councillors gave speeches welcoming him in and saying goodbye to Magid.

Fellow Green Party councillor Alison Teal said: “I’m very confident that there will never ever be another Lord Mayor like him. He has been absolutely extraordinary in every sense of the word.

“Thank you very much Magid, thank you for the incredible work that you’ve done and your tremendous dedication to this role has been above and beyond.

“One of the really valuable things Magid has done is to get people engaged in politics again and I think there are a lot of people who felt disenfranchised.

“He’s shown that you don’t have to be the stereotypical Lord Mayor that has been here before, you can do things differently, you can make the role your own and he’s very much done that…

“If we had to nominate a particular legacy to his mayoral period I think it would be the difference he’s made to young people and the way he has shown that you can make a difference…there is no doubt that this year has been tremendously challenging for Magid and yet such a tremendous opportunity.

“He has made a fantastic contribution to raising the profile of the city and showing how fantastic Sheffield is.”

Liberal Democrat Coun Bob Pullin said: “Twelve months ago I had the privilege of of seconding the proposal for the best wishes for this year to Magid.

“He has fulfilled the role of Lord Mayor with unparalleled distinction, creativity, colour…

“When my granddaughter discovered I was coming here today and that it was Magid’s last day in office, she said ‘don’t you dare come home without a guarantee that I can get a signed copy of one of those yellow hats he wears’…

“Magid has been magic in many ways, I fully stand behind Alison Teal’s assessment of the effect his originality has had in raising the consciousness of political awareness, I don’t know anyone who could have done it how he has.”