NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Afzal Shah is the newly elected councillor of Easton on a Labour ticket. Sometimes outspoken Afzal has been involved in the community assisting and advising where he can. He brings charisma and a hands on approach to the seat.

J: What drove you, what was your motivation to say “right do you know what, I think I can make a difference to my community I’m going to get into this?”

A: Well ever since I was a teenager I was interested in trying to make a difference to the community and making the community we live in a better place for everyone. I used to a be an independent custody visitor (looking after the welfare of detainees) with Avon and Somerset Police Constabulary when I was 19. I did that for seven years. I have also been involved with the Pakistan Association of Bristol and was elected General Secretary. I have also represented hundreds of families who have been targeted by the gold burglaries in Bristol. It’s really the later, you know, seeing the victims especially women and the devastation that it caused to families. I felt that the police were not doing enough to catch the perpetrators of these crimes so I spoke out and then I felt the only way to actually make a real difference is to have a platform. Similarly there are huge challenges that need to be dealt with. The key challenge for me to do something about is to reach out to the youth and engage with them on issues such as access to education and training and also to do something about drugs. To sit down with these youngsters and say look there is another path and that path is education or training to give you a better chance in life. In England and Wales just to give you an example, nearly 24% of the young prisoner population is Muslim. That’s hugely disproportionate, they represent nearly 2% of the overall population in England of Wales, yet like I said nearly a quarter of all prisoners in England and Wales are Muslim.

J: That is a staggering figure, I’m very surprised!

A: I don’t represent just Muslims; I’m there for everyone no matter what faith. As a councillor this is my job, but this is one thing I would like to do something about. Why are there so many youngsters in prison, especially from the South Asian community? I think as a community we need to sit down and question ourselves. Is it that we are not pushing our children enough in terms of educational attainment and so on? These questions can only be asked if we have some kind of debate. The other thing is we’re also lacking in terms of BME communities is we are lacking in terms of educational attainment here in Bristol. Certain communities are doing extremely well but unfortunately as a whole the BME communities are not doing so well and one of the big things that I really want to do is to get youngsters like myself to come forward and stand as councillors and come and represent the area that they live in. I say to any youngsters out there please come and see me if you are interested in becoming a councillor, come and see me and you can shadow the work that I do and get a feel for it, you may or may not like it, but it’s worth a try. I already have two teenagers who have accompanied me to full council meetings and are interested in politics. So if you are interested please come along, I will be more than happy and I will do everything I can to help you achieve that goal. I have been in office for 6 weeks now.

J: In this time what kind of things have you been dealing with, are you enjoying it, and is it what you expected before you took the post?

A: Well you have to be cognisant of that fact that if you are elected as a councillor and become a representative of your community you have to be generous with your time. People have voted for you and entrusted their time and if you are really going to make a difference you have to do your best. The key thing for me is empowering the community. This goes back to what I said, trying to get youngsters access to education and training. Getting people in the community who feel their schools are not achieving enough to become parent governors. Getting people who are not happy with the criminal justice system to go and become magistrates. Getting people who are not happy with the policing to actually become a PCSO, and for those who want to get involved in political life here in Bristol, please come and see me. Selection is not up to me but the people, but I will do everything I can to help you and point you in the right direction.

J: That is fantastic thank you so much for your time; I like your ideas and wish you all the best for your time in office. I feel you’re someone who can help the community and be a good influence to others. The last thing I would like to know is what is your message to your constituents?

A: To the people of my ward remember we’re a hugely diverse and culturally rich area, you only need to look as far as St Marks or Stapleton Road to see this; the shops, the food, it’s all great. So let’s keep supporting our local businesses. The great thing about Easton is they are all independent local businesses. Everyone should work together from all communities and if there is anything that you feel we need work on come and tell me and let’s work together. Let’s put the unity, back into community.

J: So don’t be shy people; councillor Shah is available and ready to talk to you so when you have the chance go up to him, he’s a very nice approachable man. Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: Yes, I would just like to say that if anyone would like to address any issue to the full council meeting please let me know and I can arrange that for you. For example a lot of people are not happy with resident parking zones because of the way it’s going to affect them. These are the kind of things were you should be holding your elected representatives, including myself and our mayor George Ferguson, accountable. Judge me on my actions and remember the people are the boss, you are the ones who put us in office and we are here to serve you.

J: Thank you so much for your time and best of luck with everything!

A: Thank you.