Shah Wazir
Liberal Democrat Party
Milkstone & Deeplish Ward
I was born in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. I came to the UK as a teenager and settled myself initially in Central Rochdale formerly known as Wardleworth. I graduated from Lancashire Polytechnic (now known as University of Central Lancashire) in 1987 with Honours in Electronics Engineering.
I became a Lecturer at Hopwood Hall in 1991, where I currently teach Electronics. I’ve been happily married for 14 years and have 4 lovely (and far too energetic) children. I have been a member of Liberal Democrats since 1995 and I was first elected to Council in 1998 for the Central ward. During my time as a councillor I had served on a number of committees as well being in charge of the regeneration portfolio, which ensured important funding to some of the more deprived areas in Rochdale.
With the experience I have acquired as a councillor, I have come to understand many of the issues facing Rochdale today. The recession has hit this town hard, with high unemployment, rising crime and poor housing allocation. I am keen to ensure we can secure funding from the Central government to invest in the transport network to get Rochdale’s micro economy literally moving, which is immensely important for an area hit by high unemployment as well as providing elderly people access into town centre who otherwise have no means of private transport or are able to afford taxis. I also want to put the emphasis back into education. Being an educator myself I understand the importance of good education, and its ability to inspire people to work hard.
If elected I will help all members of the community to the best of my ability. Having been a Deputy Leader of Rochdale council, I can use this perspicacity in being to work productively with other serving councillors to bring the necessary investment into Rochdale and make sure the local residents have a voice and the resources to tackle their problems. There is great potential in the area but we must care and provide an efficacious youth base to our local youths. With this I feel it would contribute towards lowering anti-social behaviour as according to the latest Home Office figures issued, Rochdale is one the towns with highest number of ASBOS issued, which I feel is unjust and does not reflect the true affable nature of Rochdalians.
As we must remember that in these tough times that this is not the first time Rochdale has experienced such hardship as having spent most of my life in Rochdale, I still remember the experiences of my father, who for the best part of 4 decades worked in mills who had to endure, like many people of Rochdale the severe industrial downturn that hurt Rochdale during the 80s. Which is why I firmly believe the young people of Rochdale along with our older and wiser members will not only ensure our recovery in these unprecedented times but to sustain this so that generations after us can help maintain this wonderful town.
I hope that I can gain your vote on May 6th and with the trust you place on me I am confident that I will not let you down
