“I know it sounds cheesy, but I want to make a difference.”
In just a dozen words Harpreet Uppal outlines the motto that has taken her from passionate campaigner to councillor representing the ward in Kirklees in which she lives.
Elected to the Labour stronghold of Ashbrow during the local elections in May, the 35-year-old is continuing a 15-year journey into the political arena.
And she’s had the backing of one big hitter, with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham describing her as “ a genuine pioneer” who could go very far in politics.
Born and bred in Fartown , educated at the local school and still living in the neighbourhood where she grew up, Harpreet is well respected in her community. Worshippers at the Gurdwara Singh Sabha temple are hailing her as not just Kirklees’ first Sikh female councillor, but also the first in Yorkshire and maybe even the north.
Her father, 72-year-old former mill worker Lamber Singh Uppal, couldn’t be prouder.
“When I first came to this country back in 1962 I never thought that one of my daughters would be a councillor,” he said. “It really means so much to the whole family.”
So what makes someone want to give up their time to be a local authority councillor? The answer lies in those 12 words.
Growing up in a politically-aware household Harpreet was inspired by her late mother, Satvinder, and her grandfather, who she never met.
“My granddad in India was quite political,” she said. “He would join in protests on social issues and women’s rights. He wanted to make sure that young girls were educated.
“He went to Delhi and met Nehru when he was Prime Minister. Later he got my mum involved. She wasn’t massively political but when she came to England she worked as a home care worker and joined UNISON.
“As a member she got involved with talks around the gender pay gap. Through the union they were able to get the wages up. That slightly politicised her. So I came from a left-of-politics stance - a socialist background.”
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Elected to the student council at Fartown High School, Harpreet took politics at A-Level and “absolutely loved it.” Work experience with the late Clr Annie Smith followed and, following encouragement, she joined the Labour Party.
Then came the lightbulb moment: a 2003 by-election in Heckmondwike . A Labour councillor had resigned to run as an independent candidate. But in a shock win, the candidate for the British National Party was elected. Labour trailed in fourth.
Harpreet assisted Labour with leafleting in the run-up to election day. She talked to voters who openly said their vote was headed towards the BNP and she experienced open prejudice first-hand.
“It was a very opposing point of view,” she recalls. “The BNP couldn’t represent the people in that area.
"They were putting stuff out that was racist. I found it quite abhorrent," Clr Uppal on the BNP.
“I went home hoping they wouldn’t get in and saw the news the next day saying the guy had been elected. That was it for me. I felt I had to join the Labour Party.”
After studying politics at Nottingham Trent University and completing a masters degree in international politics at Bradford - which included trips to Northern Ireland and Sierra Leone - she began campaigning actively for the Labour Party.
Initially involved in the Ashbrow ward that she now represents, Harpreet worked at a constituency level in Huddersfield.
“I’ve always liked campaigning,” she said. “I liked meeting people. I wanted to make sure that Labour values became actions - that you’re coming together for an idea that you are working for. That’s pretty impressive.”
A spell working with the Audit Commission was followed by a stint at the NHS, supporting various trusts. Working with Oldham’s Labour MP Debbie Abrahams has pushed her further into the political arena.
“I volunteered with Debbie when she was campaigning in the Colne Valley,” Harpreet added.
I started working with her in 2013, two days a week at first. A lot of the work was around council issues. You end up getting involved in everything: communications, campaigning, parliamentary work. I learned so much. The experience that gave me was immense.”
Harpreet followed up by working with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on his election campaign. It was another epiphany and, somewhere along the line, she decided to throw her own hat in the ring.
“Andy spoke to me because he spoke about the north and about young people not going to university,” she said. “We were a small team and so I got to know him personally. I learned a lot.”
Encouraged equally by her Labour colleagues and her family, Harpreet stood for Ashbrow and won the seat, replacing veteran councillor Jean Calvert after she resigned from the party.
Harpreet’s recollection of winning: “It was pretty cool. The thing that got me was how other people were excited for me. That really touched me. I’d always been a back-room person, a campaigner. Stepping forward was a big deal.”
Notwithstanding family and friends, the local temple gathered to offer a prayer and a Sikh blessing to one of their own.
“Being a Sikh is part of my identity,” says Harpreet. “The values of Sikhism are very important to me.
“People identify with my accent and my skin colour. That’s also important to me in a positive way.”
Partnered with ward colleagues James Homewood and Amanda Pinnock, she wants to tackle deprivation, fly-tipping and help deliver services in the light of ongoing budget cuts. She calls it “a massive issue.”
“We are facing a crisis in local government because of it,” she said. “That’s something I will be continually raising at council. Austerity is hurting us. Its impact is affecting everybody.”
Do her future ambitions head in the direction of Westminster? She smiles.
“It’s a big commitment - a 24/7 role, and a massive amount of work. It’s something that I would have to think about, and not something that I’m even thinking about now. I want to do what I’m doing now as well as I can. We’ll see what happens.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “It is fantastic that Harpreet has been elected to Kirklees Council.
"I know from working with her that she is diligent and hard-working, but more than that she is down-to-earth, rooted in the real world and is an authentic voice for her community.
“She is a genuine pioneer and an incredible role model for young women across the north. She has got all the qualities to go very far in politics and I will be supporting her all the way.”
