Chaz Singh Did It & So Can You

My background is retail where being a people person is most important. Then working in the community was just as paramount. Having those skills and experience, they were the perfect ingredients in looking at the councillor role. The councillors role is to help, assist and make it easier for communities to engage and be included. For me, the role is not so much to influence but to lead and show the way. Policies and procedures need to be shown to be understood and then people come together to have that influence. The rest is perseverance. Dont give up.

In 2011 you became the first Sikh councillor in Plymouth. Did you encounter any challenges up until this point and how did you overcome them?

When I first started knocking on doors and heard ‘We dont want any more restaurant menus’ or ‘I’m voting BNP’ has made me more resilient to hearing negativity but I dont give up that easily. I came to Plymouth twelve years ago not knowing anyone and here I am now. What a journey. The negativity was a huge driver for me. You have to get up and rise above that.

Do you think there’s still work to do to ensure representation from people from different minority groups in the council chambers around the UK?

There are huge amounts of work to be done and especially in communities. If it took me twelve years to be where I am now, just imagine if I was able to assist the next person which would take six years and then three years and so on, until it would be acceptable due to there being less barriers and therefore making it inclusive. I’ve always said that if I can do it, anyone can do it.

When I was working at a community level, there was and still is a lot of box ticking going on. It’s not always funding that is the answer but also having resources. Communities are now stepping up to the mark. I have been working with the Filipino British Association in Plymouth and they are an incredible organisation who I have personally supported when I was a Community Development Worker. They are a shining example of when engagement and partnership can work hand in hand.

There are only two Sikh Prospective Parliamentary Candidates in the country that I personally know of. One of them is me in Plymouth and the other is Tanmanjeet Singh in Gravesend. Despite the number of Sikhs in the UK this is a very small number and demographically challenging given that the largest representation of Sikhs in the UK are Birmingham and London. In Plymouth I am one of 89 Sikhs in a city of 265,000. Community Development workers in organisations need to be taken seriously and not just as a section to be inclusive or an item in the annual report to say haven’t we done well.

Do you think you being a visible community champion will support with increasing this representation and inspiring the next generation?

Being a Sikh means you were born to stand out. Being a person who has worked in the community means you are always going to be there for people who need you. A member of the Bangladeshi community Mr Wahid who has been in Plymouth for over 50 years said to me that he thought he would never see the day when someone from the Asian community would be where I am. He said to me, ‘You make us proud, the Asian community and the Sikh community are proud.’

How important do you think it is that we have people being visible in influential positions from all backgrounds and cultures?

If we are living in the age of inclusion then let’s see it, live it and be a part of it. Race relations have progressed since our parents came to the UK. Or have they?

Well done on being named a Community Champion at the 2014 MTM South West Asian and Ethnic Minorities Awards. What was the award for and how did this make you feel?

The award was for the work that I do in communities and especially in the South West. Awards are a result of hard work and sheer determination and it’s an honour to recieve them. Recently those same efforts were recognised in Washington DC when I was pressented with an award as well. I also organise with David Saunders the St Georges Day event in Plymouth. The whole community comes together and thats what it’s all about. Just another blueprint for community development.

Did you have any role models growing up and what role do you think role models have?

Growing up as a child I admired Evil Knievel who was an American daredevil and stunt performer. Role models and their roles come in all forms. Whatever they do has to have a positive impact on individuals and groups and that’s the biggest thing that can happen.

We’d love to know more about the famous ‘Turban Outfitters’ tweet and the reaction this has had

That was just amazing. I ran a campaign for a while called Get Your T On. It consisted of meeting people and doing a ‘T’ with your hands. It went as far as New York, Washington DC and to some places across the UK. It shows you how powerful the internet is and how quick things can go viral. My twitter is @plymouthchaz

What do you enjoy most about your role as a Councillor?

The phone call or the meeting in the street that is quite simple, ‘I dont know what I would have done without you. Thank You.’

Chaz for MP?

Considering this was the first time I’d applied for that alone was a victory for me. As the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for South West Devon I’d love to do the next interview as one of the first Sikh MPs in the country, so watch this space. Gravesend results may come in after so good luck Tan!