Bradford lawyer takes up historic high sheriff role: ‘representation matters’
Dr Ruby Bhatti, the new high sheriff of West Yorkshire, intends to use her year in office to uplift young people and community groups
Dr Ruby Bhatti has said she will use her year in office to shine a light on overlooked grassroots organisations and challenge the way young people are spoken about, as she begins her tenure as high sheriff of West Yorkshire.
Speaking to Hyphen weeks after formally taking up the historic role, Bhatti said she would focus on visiting small charities, faith groups and community initiatives — often operating with limited resources — as they tend to be overlooked despite being “the ones that hold our communities together”.
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“Grassroots organisations often do vital work quietly behind the scenes,” she said. “They’re doing remarkable work, often with very limited resources, and they deserve to be recognised.”
Her comments come as she sets out a more outward-facing approach to the historic role of high sheriff, one of the oldest civic offices in England and Wales, dating back more than 1,000 years. The largely ceremonial position focuses on supporting the judiciary, emergency services and voluntary sector across the county.
“I want to use this office in a practical and outward-looking way,” she said. “One of the things I want to do during my year is simply to say thank you — thank you to those in public service, thank you to our justice system, emergency services and voluntary organisations.”
Bhatti said youth engagement would be a central theme of her tenure.
“Young people should be seen as a source of hope, not a problem,” she said. “They’ve got energy, ideas and so much potential, and we need to support that.”
A solicitor with nearly 30 years’ experience, Bhatti heads the family and immigration department at White Rose and Blackmans Solicitors in Leeds. She has also spent decades working across education, housing, health and community organisations in Yorkshire as a non-executive director, trustee and board member.
In 2019, she was awarded an OBE for services to housing and young people in Bradford, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bradford the following year. She was appointed deputy lieutenant for West Yorkshire, the king’s representative in the county, in 2023.
Bhatti said her legal career had shaped her focus on fairness and access to justice, as well as her commitment to supporting people as they rebuild their lives after involvement with the justice system.
“That has taught me a great deal about dignity and the importance of access to justice,” she said.
Born and raised in Bradford, Bhatti described her appointment as part of a longer journey in public service, influenced by her parents’ emphasis on education, responsibility and giving back to the community.
Her priorities for the year include working with youth organisations, faith groups and smaller community-led initiatives, alongside maintaining close links with the police, judiciary and emergency services.
Bhatti also highlighted the importance of representation in civic life, particularly as a British Muslim woman in a historic role.
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“For me, representation matters,” she said. “When people from different backgrounds see someone like them in public life, it sends a message that they belong and that they can contribute.”
She added that her faith continues to inform her approach to public service, shaping values of “justice, compassion, humility and responsibility”.
Reflecting on what she hopes to achieve by the end of her term, Bhatti said success would be defined by whether others feel valued.
“I hope that those who serve the public — whether in courts, in uniform, or in communities — feel that their work has been seen and appreciated,” she said.
She said she hoped her tenure would help bring people together from different communities, faiths and backgrounds across West Yorkshire.
“This role is about shining a light, opening doors and bringing people together,” she said. “I carry this role with humility, gratitude and responsibility.”
