A trail-blazing young councillor at EHDC has been nominated for a prestigious award for his work in the community.
At just 29 years old Cllr Adeel Shah, our Portfolio Holder for Community Development and Engagement, is our youngest ever Cabinet member and is also our first ever Cabinet member of ethnic descent.
He has been shortlisted as a Community Champion in the LGiU’s (Local Government Information Unit) annual awards. The LGiU received 350 nominations across five categories, so to be shortlisted is an outstanding achievement.
Committed to community work in his home town of Whitehill & Bordon, Cllr Shah was elected to EHDC in May 2023 and was quickly given a portfolio covering crucial services such as affordable housing, benefits, foodbanks and welfare.
He said: “I am honoured to be shortlisted for this award. For me service is the crucial thing. Although I am proud to be EHDC’s first Cabinet member of ethnic descent, history-making titles are nothing without results.
“The most important thing is to keep working to improve our community for everyone, no matter their faith or background.”
Among his community work Cllr Shah has personally helped fund-raise around £500,000 for local charities in the past two years, including a charity walk in Bordon which fundraised £10,000 for 20 local charities.
As an active member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association he cites his faith as a constant motivation for his work.
He said: “I’ve been taught as a Muslim to serve wherever I am, however I can, and in the best form and calibre possible. I hope and pray that I am able to continue serving the people that I have been elected to serve and want to take this opportunity to thank His Holiness, the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who has always been an inspiration, and my colleagues, councillors, officers at EHDC and the residents of East Hampshire.”
Cllr Richard Millard, EHDC Leader, said: “We are very proud to see one of our councillors shortlisted for such a prestigious national award.
“Cllr Shah is relatively new to EHDC but has already made a huge difference to the lives of our residents.
“His work ethic, determination and good nature are an inspiration to his peers.”
The winners will be unveiled at the Cllr Awards ceremony on Wednesday, 20 November at the City of London Guildhall.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of the LGIU, said: "The judging panel was blown away by the number of extremely high quality nominations this year, with councillors up and down the country going the extra mile for residents.
"The shortlist for the 2024 Cllr Awards represents some of the most devoted elected representatives in England, Wales and Scotland. With councils working under enormous pressure, these awards are a hugely important way to champion what councillors achieve for the places we live.
"Congratulations to all the councillors nominated and shortlisted and I look forward to announcing the winners in November.”