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Jas Athwal
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Jas Athwal
Jasbir Singh Athwal (Punjabi: ਜਸਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਠਵਾਲ; /ˈdʒæz ˈæθwɒl/; born 1963) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ilford South since July 2024. He served as Leader of Redbridge London Borough Council from 2014 to 2024. Athwal currently serves as the Chairman of the All-Party parliamentary group for Sikhs.
Jas Athwal was born in Punjab, India, in September 1963, into a Punjabi Sikh family. When Jas was seven, his father relocated to Ilford, in London, England to work at the Ford Motor Company factory in nearby Dagenham, before being joined later by Jas and his mother, neither of whom spoke English upon their arrival to the UK. His mother worked at home sewing ties. He attended Mayfield School in Goodmayes and later graduated from the London School of Economics.
In 2007, Athwal co-founded Village Day Nurseries, a business that operates three day nurseries, in Derby, Leigh-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea respectively, that provide care for up to 300 children under the age of five. Following criticism from Ofsted over breaching child safety rules on three occasions, the nurseries were all ranked "good" by Ofsted when Athwal left the business following his election to Parliament.
Athwal also accumulated a portfolio of properties and in August 2024, Ofsted inspected a private care home operated by Heartwood Care, operating from a building owned by Athwal. Their report rated it inadequate - children from the home had gone missing and been left at risk of criminal exploitation. Reacting to the news, the Conservative Party called for an investigation, with a spokesperson saying: "These are serious allegations, and it would only be right for an investigation to be launched." Heartwood Care later issued a statement denying the allegations. Ofsted returned to the care home for an inspection in November 2024 and updated the care home's rating to "good".
In the 2010 local elections, Athwal was elected as a Labour councillor for the Mayfield ward on Redbridge London Borough Council, taking the seat from the Conservative Party with a majority of 1368 votes.
Athwal was subsequently elected to lead the Labour Group on Redbridge Council on 11 October 2011, with 15 of the 21 votes. This followed a vote of no confidence in the previous Labour Group Leader, Cllr Bob Littlewood.
In the 2014 local elections, Athwal led the Redbridge Labour Party to win its first ever majority on Redbridge Council, 48 years following the establishment of the borough. His Labour group gained 11 seats, resulting in Labour controlling 35 of the 63 seats, winning control from the incumbent Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.
Following the 2014 local elections, Athwal was elected as the Leader of Redbridge Council. Wes Streeting, later elected as Member of Parliament for the local constituency of Ilford North, was his first Deputy Leader.
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Jas Athwal
Jasbir Singh Athwal (Punjabi: ਜਸਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਠਵਾਲ; /ˈdʒæz ˈæθwɒl/; born 1963) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ilford South since July 2024. He served as Leader of Redbridge London Borough Council from 2014 to 2024. Athwal currently serves as the Chairman of the All-Party parliamentary group for Sikhs.
Jas Athwal was born in Punjab, India, in September 1963, into a Punjabi Sikh family. When Jas was seven, his father relocated to Ilford, in London, England to work at the Ford Motor Company factory in nearby Dagenham, before being joined later by Jas and his mother, neither of whom spoke English upon their arrival to the UK. His mother worked at home sewing ties. He attended Mayfield School in Goodmayes and later graduated from the London School of Economics.
In 2007, Athwal co-founded Village Day Nurseries, a business that operates three day nurseries, in Derby, Leigh-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea respectively, that provide care for up to 300 children under the age of five. Following criticism from Ofsted over breaching child safety rules on three occasions, the nurseries were all ranked "good" by Ofsted when Athwal left the business following his election to Parliament.
Athwal also accumulated a portfolio of properties and in August 2024, Ofsted inspected a private care home operated by Heartwood Care, operating from a building owned by Athwal. Their report rated it inadequate - children from the home had gone missing and been left at risk of criminal exploitation. Reacting to the news, the Conservative Party called for an investigation, with a spokesperson saying: "These are serious allegations, and it would only be right for an investigation to be launched." Heartwood Care later issued a statement denying the allegations. Ofsted returned to the care home for an inspection in November 2024 and updated the care home's rating to "good".
In the 2010 local elections, Athwal was elected as a Labour councillor for the Mayfield ward on Redbridge London Borough Council, taking the seat from the Conservative Party with a majority of 1368 votes.
Athwal was subsequently elected to lead the Labour Group on Redbridge Council on 11 October 2011, with 15 of the 21 votes. This followed a vote of no confidence in the previous Labour Group Leader, Cllr Bob Littlewood.
In the 2014 local elections, Athwal led the Redbridge Labour Party to win its first ever majority on Redbridge Council, 48 years following the establishment of the borough. His Labour group gained 11 seats, resulting in Labour controlling 35 of the 63 seats, winning control from the incumbent Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.
Following the 2014 local elections, Athwal was elected as the Leader of Redbridge Council. Wes Streeting, later elected as Member of Parliament for the local constituency of Ilford North, was his first Deputy Leader.
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