90 Seconds with Pranav Bhanot
NRI and one of the UK’s youngest Local Government chiefs
Pranav Bhanot (32) is one of the UK’s youngest council chiefs in his role as the chairman of Chigwell Parish Council, a local authority on the outskirts of London (United Kingdom). As leader of the council, he leads a team of locally elected politicians responsible for the decision making impacting a population of almost 12,500 residents on issues including taxation, local transport, planning/infrastructure and the local environment.
Having only been an elected councillor for just under 1-year, his ascent to leadership was quick and sharp with many lessons learnt along the way.
Kamal Prabhakar of Hello Mumbai News, speaks exclusively with Pranav Bhanot about his journey to leading a council, his plans for the future, the relationship between the United Kingdom and India as well as his books, “Get me Elected” and “A Living Bridge”.
KP. What has motivated you to have an active interest in politics?
PB. Growing up I lacked a lot of confidence and felt rather inferior to most of my school mates and peers. This could partly have been because for my early years at school, I struggled academically. At the age of 11, I had a reading age of an 8-year-old. I was also one of the smallest children in my class (perhaps partly due to being born 2 months premature). I felt frustrated in not being able to express myself and my thoughts. As I have grown older and grown with confidence, I have appreciated the importance of being empowered to express a point of view and I have resolved to make this part of my goal, to empower others and to provide a voice to them. It is for this reason, I decided to have an interest in politics and and it is indeed why I work as a lawyer, to essentially represent and speak out for my clients and constituents from the courtroom to the council chamber.
KP: What are the most challenging aspects of your role as Chairman of Chigwell Parish Council?
PB: I came into the role underestimating the task before me. Much of what I do involves learning on the job and applying common sense. Politicians are by nature confident and not afraid to express their opinion. In leading a team of politicians, often involves balancing a number of strong personalities and trying to negotiate and find pragmatic resolutions where conflicts exist.
Dealing with hate speech and trolls via social media never gets easier but unfortunately comes with the role of being actively elected in politics.
In the year of a pandemic, I have found it particularly challenging to ensure we are ready to assist the residents of Chigwell despite the multiple lockdowns and Government restrictions.
KP: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your work in public life?
PB: There are so many active bodies and organisations doing great work (including of course, our NHS), and on the council we have worked to ensure we can promote the hard work of all these organisations and bodies who assist the residents in Chigwell.
Recently, we are proud to have secured funding to ensure all Chigwell residents can travel free of charge to obtain their vaccinations from allocated vaccination hubs.
Other initiatives have included setting up delivery networks so the most vulnerable residents do not go without their essential food and shopping, organising free school lunches for those who cannot attend school and cannot afford to buy lunches and also we started a disinfectant cleaning programme in public spaces in the Chigwell area.
KP: How do you balance life as a lawyer and leader of your council. What does your typical day look like?
PB: My working day usually starts around 8am (occasionally earlier if I need to look after my little one) and finishes around midnight. My day job as a litigation lawyer is rather intense and it is essential that I fully focus on my day job during the working day. Once I have finished my legal caseload for the day, I aim to go for a quick gym session and spending time with the family, before using the evenings to attend council meetings, reviewing agendas/minutes and responding to emails from residents. I often work most weekends, planning and wrapping up any unfinished work, before getting ready for a new week. It is a gruelling schedule but one which is incredibly satisfying.
KP: What advice do you have to any young people wishing to stand for an elected position?
PB: Politics can be a whole lot more than local or central Government roles. Politics could involve running to represent students in a class, year group or university or it could involve representing colleagues at your place of work. Therefore, if you have point of view on a matter, just get involved and don’t over think it. In any democratic process, it is important there is a wide demographic of candidates. Therefore, I believe there is a real need for more Black, Asian and Minority Groups and people of all genders putting their name forward to stand in elections. To stand in elections, find mentors/friends who will support your journey, be clear on the change you wish to see and get stuck in. Do not worry too much about the winning. It is far more effective to focus on running a strong campaign. My book, “Get Me Elected”, provides tips and tactics of getting elected in positions of responsibility.
KP: As an NRI, how do you see India and UK’s relationship developing in the future?
PB: I believe there is so much to look forward to between these two great countries and I believe the Indian Diaspora or the Living Bridge between the two countries are as important as the politicians to ensure the relationship between the two countries goes from strength to strength. I very much hope and believe a trade deal between the India and UK is imminent and hope the UK continues to be the country of choice for Indian students to study. We have the world’s best universities in the UK and we want global brains to study here. From a legal standpoint, I hope more law firms and professional services can establish themselves in India . I enjoyed a particularly close relationship with the Late Smt Sushma Swaraj (foreign secretary of India) and spoke with her at length about ideas of strengthening the relationship between the two countries which are also set out in the book that I edited “The Living Bridge”.
KP: What do you do when you are not working?
PB: I enjoy keeping fit and reading to maintain a strong body and strong mind. I enjoy reading self-development books and some of my favourites include: “Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.
I also very much enjoy spending time with my incredibly supportive family including my grandparents, parents, in-laws, siblings and of course my beautiful wife and baby boy.