Brought up by a single parent, on free school meals, in social housing, on minimum wage, zero-hour contract jobs, Brent has given so much to Ihtesham. And with so many people hurting, so many struggling, after a decade worth of austerity, he feels it is his duty, to give back. A former youth worker, and community activist, he was grateful to be elected as a councillor in 2018, to represent and help as many people as possible. With poverty and inequality exacerbated by this pandemic and the government’s indifference and mishandling of it, Ihtesham set up and has been running Preston Mutual Aid to ensure those in need in the area were continually getting the help and support they needed. As vice-chair of the Labour Group, co-chair of Brent Youth Parliament, and member of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny committee, he is on the frontline, steering council policy and implementing Labour values of justice, equality across the board. With his key focuses on alleviating poverty, community cohesion and providing a better tomorrow for our young people, Ihtesham will go above and beyond to achieve real results for Brent.