NRI Councillor, Patel, Bsc LLB elected Mayor of Brent , UK

London, May 20, 2007
Manoj Kumar

NRI, Councillor, Harshadbhai B. Patel was elected Mayor of Brent on May 16, 2007. He is the 43rd Mayor of Brent. Following a by-election in 1996, Councillor Patel was elected in Preston Ward and has since won three elections.

He has lived in Brent since coming to England from India in 1977 and has lived in the borough ever since except for a short period of three years when he lived in Tottenham. Married with three daughters, Councillor Patel works as a barrister. The Mayor’s wife, Mrs. Hansaben Patel, works for the Post Office.

The Mayor said: "It is a great delight to become the Mayor of Brent. This borough is unique in many respects: the diversity of its citizens, the variety of languages that are spoken and the host of religions that are celebrated. Within Brent I am proud to say that there is real unity and the borough is a great example of how everyone can live together and prosper, both individually and as communities. With this in mind I am very much looking forward to my Mayoral year ahead."

As well as his political commitments, The Mayor has also served as a Governor for Wembley Manor School and Preston Manor High School and has been serving the Shree Sattavis Gam Patidar Samaj community for nearly twenty years as a secretary and trustee. He played a significant part in locating a place for the Patidar Community Centre and ensuring that the construction was completed.

Councillor Patel has also served other organizations such as the Federation of Patidar Associations for nearly 20 years, Brent Indian Associations, and the Hindu Council (Brent).

On 21 January 2007, Councillor Patel was honoured in the presence of nearly 300,000 people in India, when he was presented with a prestigious Atmiya Gaurav Award in recognition of services to the Indian community abroad.