Toxteth's new Labour councillor said she wants to be "a voice to the voiceless" after an election win that makes her the first Somali Muslim woman on Liverpool council.
Rahima Farah was recently elected to the new Toxteth ward after securing more than 75% of the vote in a two-horse race against the Green Party. Cllr Farah was already a recognisable face in the L8 community through her long standing work as a network engagement lead with Central Liverpool Primary Care Network.
Cllr Farah's appointment made her the first Somali Muslim woman to hold a position On Liverpool City Council. And speaking to the ECHO after her election win, the 42-year-old said she was "overwhelmed with the response from the people in the community".
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She told the ECHO: "The reaction has been amazing. I hope my election as a Somali Muslim woman can empower a lot of people. Being the first is a great achievement for the city. It's so important that we represent the people around us.
"Toxteth has a lot of different cultures and faiths and it's that diversity that makes the area good. But it's also important to have that representation in the council chamber as well which is what makes me so proud."
Cllr Farah was born and raised in Scunthorpe - an industrial town in North Lincolnshire, where diversity was scarce, before moving to Liverpool. She has worked within the Toxteth community for 20 years and lived in the ward she now looks after for 10.
Toxteth was announced as one of the best places to live in the North West during a recent Sunday Times piece. The piece highlighted how "a generous measure of community spirit is restoring the area to its former splendour" - and how a number of communities happily rub shoulders together.
When asked what makes Toxteth so special, Cllr Farah agreed, pointing to the rich diversity of the area and the friendliness of the people. She added: "Although I was born in Scunthorpe, Liverpool is well and truly my home."
Through her day-to-day work around the Toxteth area Cllr Farah has passionately helped address health inequalities. And being able to carry on this work on a bigger platform was one of the main reasons why she put her name forward when it came to the elections.
The councillor told the ECHO: "Working in Toxteth you see the effects of the cuts from 13 years of the Tory government. That's what motivated me to put my name forward. People in the area historically might not have a great trust of the council.
"But I have a great track record of supporting people in this community and want to be visible to them. I want to transfer the skills of my job to help people, not only in terms of health, but education and housing for example.
"I want to give more power to the people, alert them of their rights and make sure they're supported."
This year's all out elections, where 85 councillors were elected across 64 newly-drawn wards, came against a backdrop of a difficult period for the Labour Party in Liverpool. In 2021 the government appointed commissioners and the damning Caller Report highlighted "a deeply concerning picture of mismanagement, the breakdown of scrutiny and accountability, a dysfunctional culture putting the spending of public funds at risk and undermining the city's economic development".
Elsewhere an energy debacle that saw the bill soar above £16m, as well as the parking ticket scandal, exclusively revealed by the ECHO, meant the opposition parties saw potential to put a dent in Labour's majority. But the Labour group comprehensively secured 61 of the 85 seats, with leader Liam Robinson vowing to "finish the job" of fixing the city and repaying people's trust.
And, when asked if she's confident about the future of the party, Cllr Farah said: "I'm passionate for change. Under Liam's leadership I believe the party will move forward in the right direction. I believe Liam will bring a fresh start to the council."
Cllr Farah said another of her inspirations was to show her children anyone can do it. The mum-of-five said: "This is for them, to show you can do it. My mum couldn't speak much English and the area we grew up in wasn't very diverse.
"But I've never seen my minority ethnic background as a negative - I've always used it as a positive. I now want to be a voice for the voiceless."
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