Reform councillors for Bury

I decided to become a councillor because I wanted to have a greater say in what happens in my local community and to stand up for the people who live here. I have always believed that if you see things that you feel are wrong, you should not simply complain about them, you should be prepared to step forward and try to change them. I felt that becoming a councillor was an opportunity to do exactly that.

I also wanted to bring my own life experience, values and common sense into local politics. After serving my country in the military and spending many years since as a business leader and raising a family here, I felt I had something worthwhile to contribute.

I wanted to give something back to the community I live in, representing all people within the community and make sure their concerns had a voice. Ultimately, I became a councillor because I wanted to make a difference rather than simply stand on the sidelines.

I came to this country as an immigrant from Bangladesh, and I've spent my career giving back to it as an NHS A&E doctor on the front line, night after night, seeing exactly where the system works and where it fails ordinary people. That's what pulled me into politics. Casework isn't abstract to me; it's the same instinct that makes me check on a patient twice, a resident's pothole, a delayed hip operation, a small business struggling with rates. I ran for Pilkington Park because I was tired of watching problems get talked about instead of fixed.

My own journey of converting from Islam to Judaism, at real personal cost taught me what it means to hold a conviction even when it isn't easy or popular. That's the standard I try to bring to the council chamber: say what you actually believe, back it with evidence, and do the unglamorous work of following through. I didn't get into this for a title. I got into it because this ward, and this country, gave me a chance and I intend to spend my time here paying that forward, one fixed problem at a time.

"I became a Reform councillor because I wanted to do something rather than stand idly by and watch the decline in my hometown. Lack of community and civic pride have also provided me with the motivation to make a difference. My neighbours in Unsworth and Bury deserve representatives who will challenge decisions, scrutinise how their money is being spent and put practical outcomes ahead of political convention. Reform has given me the opportunity to do that while also giving me a platform to push for change at a wider level.”