The Mayor, Councillor Mohammed Tahir Rafiq was born at Hillingdon Hospital in Middlesex and grew up in Stoke-on-Trent, where he attended school and college.
His parents settled in the United Kingdom after migrating from the village of Chattroh in Dadyal, District Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, in the early 1960s.
The Mayor is married and has seven children — four daughters and three sons. He has one granddaughter.
He graduated from the University of Staffordshire with degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Law, and Legal Practice, before later achieving a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Huddersfield.
After a brief period working in engineering, he pursued a career in law and completed his legal training at a Stoke-on-Trent law firm. He qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court in October 1996 and practised law for many years across Stoke-on-Trent, St. Helens and Manchester.
In 2001, after many years of commuting, he moved with his family to Prestwich in Bury.
He ran his own law firm in Manchester from July 2000 until becoming a Consultant Solicitor in early 2016.
The Mayor became involved in local politics at an early stage in his life, inspired by his neighbour and Stoke Central Labour MP, who sadly passed away in late 2025.
He was first elected to Bury Council as a Labour Councillor for Unsworth Ward in 2018 and immediately went on to serve as Secretary of the Bury Labour Group. He was re-elected in 2022 and 2023 and continues to serve the residents of Unsworth Ward with dedication and passion.
The Mayor has also previously served as Chair of the Bury Labour Group, Chair of the Licensing and Safety Committee, and most recently as Executive Cabinet Member for Corporate Affairs and Human Resources, including Adult Services, from May 2020 to May 2025. In May 2025, he assumed the role of Deputy Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury. He has also served on several committees, including Planning and Overview & Scrutiny.
In addition to his council duties, he is a Governor and Vice-Chair at Hollins Grundy Primary School and has also served as a governor at another primary school within the borough. His other appointments include serving as a trustee of two Whitefield trust funds and Treasurer of the Friends of Chaddy Field community group. Outside his civic responsibilities, he is also involved in advocacy work supporting the Kashmir cause.
As Mayor represents all communities across the borough, this year’s Mayoral Chaplains will include representatives from different faiths on a rotational basis.
He will be supported by his two Mayoresses: his wife, Manzoor Bibi and his daughter, Nisa Tahir Rafiq, a solicitor by profession. Mrs Bibi is a homemaker who has devoted many years to raising their seven children and now enjoys spending time with the family’s granddaughter.
The Mayor’s chosen charities for the year will include Bury Blind Bury Blind Society and Bury Hospice alongside other charitable causes.
The position of Mayor
The Mayor is the borough's First Citizen.
The Office of Mayor is the highest honour the Council can bestow upon a Member and reflects a high level of public service and the esteem, respect and regard in which the holders are held.
The Mayor holds a position of precedence over all persons within the borough, except in the direct presence of His Majesty The King, Members of the Royal Family or His Majesty's Lord Lieutenant.
The role and duties of the Mayor, which are undertaken on behalf of the borough are varied and cover many aspects, but include:
- acting as an ambassador for the borough
- upholding civic pride
- promoting the borough
- encouraging and supporting local industry, business and commerce
- supporting local charities and community groups
- representing the Council at civic, social, cultural, charitable, religious or faith and many other wide ranging functions and events
- chairing Council meetings
- receiving official visitors.
Attendance of the Mayor and the Consort or Mayoress at functions
Enquiries are frequently received regarding the procedure to be adopted at functions which the Mayor and Mayoress are attending. With a view to enabling suitable arrangements to be made, the following information may be of assistance:
Description
The correct description for the purpose of printing is 'The Worshipful the Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Councillor Mohammed Tahir Rafiq' and when the Mayoress 'The Worshipful the Mayor and Mayoress of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Councillor Mohammed Tahir Rafiq and Mrs Manzoor Bibi/Ms Nisa Rafiq'.
Method of address
Speakers should refer to the Mayor as 'Mr Mayor' and Mayoress as 'Mayoress'.
Arrival
The Mayor and Mayoress should be met immediately upon arrival and escorted, as soon as convenient, to the places reserved for them. If the Mayor and Mayoress are asked to take part in a reception prior to the commencement of the function, then the organisers should vary the arrival time accordingly.
Precedence
The Mayor shall have precedence over all persons within the borough except in the presence of His Majesty The King or a Representative of His Majesty. Accordingly, the place reserved for the Mayor should be on the immediate right of the Chair or other person presiding. The Mayoress should be seated on the immediate right of the Mayor or on the left of the Chair or person presiding.
When the Mayoress is attending unaccompanied by the Mayor, her seat should be in the position as indicated for the Mayor.
If the Mayor and Mayoress are to be asked to speak at any function, particulars should be furnished in advance.
The Mayoral Charity Appeal
During their term of office the Mayor and Mayoress have chosen Bury Blind Society and Bury Hospice as the main beneficiaries of the Mayoral Charity Appeal.
Throughout the mayoral year fundraising events will be held and all the proceeds from these occasions will be donated to charitable causes.
If you wish to donate to the Mayor's Charity fund you can donate online.
Invite the Mayor to an event
The Mayor welcomes invitations from local organisations to attend events held within the borough or related to Bury.
The Mayor will endeavour to attend all events to which he is invited, but unfortunately, due to the high demand, this may not be possible.
A minimum of two weeks' notice of invitations to attend events is requested.
If you wish to invite The Mayor to attend an event, please email mayorsoffice@bury.gov.uk, providing as much detail of the event as you can.
Recognising groups, businesses and individuals
Part of the Mayor of Bury’s role is to champion and support local community groups, business, and individuals in the excellent work they do across the borough.
To support recognition, the mayor encourages groups and individuals to be nominated either for the Kings Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) or to nominate an individual for a personal honour such as an CBE, MBE or OBE. Nominating a group or individual is easy and any one can be nominate or be nominated. Information to nominate can be found here:
The mayor’s role is also to raise the profile of local outstanding businesses and recognise innovation and enterprise. To do this, the mayor also encourages businesses within Bury to nominate themselves for the Kings Award for Enterprise (KAE). This award is split into four categories: innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. To check eligibility or to nominate your business, follow this link: