Prominent member of the British Indian diaspora in Manchester, Amit Narang, has been campaigning for the upcoming local elections scheduled on May 2. He will be running for the post of Councillor in Trafford Council’s Ashton upon Mersey Ward as a Conservative Party candidate and has been working tirelessly with local residents in the area to understand more about their issues and needs.
In this exclusive interview, the candidate speaks to iGlobal about his campaign, his connect with the community and the importance of having the British Indian voice heard within the local councils.
How and why did you decide to join politics?
Since many years I'm involved in various social activities, volunteered for several causes and I'm part of many diaspora organisations as I like to help people. Eventually, I realised that politics is also a way of helping people. There are 4,500 households in my ward and as a councillor I am sure I will be able to help them more efficiently than I can do now.
The local problems in our community could be about streetlamps, the bad state of repairs of council property, vandalism, bins not getting collected or any other things. These little things touch our lives every day. As a councillor, you can make difference and help people with their daily issues. Having a voice in the council makes a big difference.
Why did you decide to join the Conservative Party?
I researched into the local policies of various parties and what each party represents. I liked the Conservative policies for the Trafford Council. Firstly, they wanted to make Trafford a technology hub and as someone with a technology background, I strongly felt that I would be able to contribute to this cause if elected. I also support their other policies like lower taxes and help for local businesses. I am self-employed myself, so I can fully appreciate why these policies are important.
How is your campaign going so far?
The campaigning is going very well. In my ward, Ashton upon Mersey, there is a lot of positivity, but it is primarily a Labour ward where they have been winning for the past eight years. They are in majority even though we're not too far behind. There are issues and things people are not happy with. Based on our surveys of the locals, potholes are a major issue. The other issue people are struggling with is school placements. This is what I am pledging towards: to make our roads better and to make schools more easily accessible to pupils living locally.
What are your goals if you get elected as a councillor?
My short-term goal is to address problems that people face daily. If someone emails me or gets in touch with their problem, then my goal is to represent them fairly; to take their cases to the council and do whatever is in my hands to resolve their issues. I will try to be the face of the people and work tirelessly to solve their problems.
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Can you tell me a little bit about your personal journey?
I was born in India, and moved to UK in 2000, so it's been quite a while. I am living in Trafford and working with the community since last 12 years.
I’m fortunate to be selected as a candidate for Ashton upon Mersey this year.
Initially, politics was never on my mind, but as I got involved with the party activities and saw how other councillors are working for the residents, I felt this can be a perfect way to help people.
Anything else that you'd like to add?
Yes. I would appeal to the people to please come out and vote. We see very few people coming out to vote in local elections. I also think everybody should register for postal votes. It makes voting much easier if you’re busy on the day. Local representatives are your representatives to the local council. Get in touch with them. They are here to work for you but choose the right candidate and go vote for them. That's all I would say.
