NRI, Gagan Mohindra MP, 2019

London, Dec 17, 2019

My paternal grandfather was an Army civilian in the British Indian Army, and my father moved to Britain in the 1970s. I was born in Barking Hospital in 1978 and spent my first few years living above our clothes shop in Forest Gate, East London. We moved into a house in the 1980s firstly in Ilford (East London) and then in Chigwell, Essex where my family still reside. I am in the process of moving my family to this area.

After University at Kings College, London, I worked in financial services in London. A few years later, I left to join the family furniture retail business. I know first-hand the pleasures and challenges of running a small business. I inevitably did everything from the managerial to the menial - cleaning the shop floor, selling to customers, ordering from our suppliers and often even fitting furniture. Our business grew and diversified into other interests, including online ventures and property. Since I became engaged in politics full-time, I have had no connection with my former companies. 

Political background

I started to get involved in politics in my mid-twenties. I have significant experience in many of the issues our constituency is facing: in Planning, including in my current role as Chairman of Planning on my District Council, and Local Government Finance as the Lead Member at the County Council for Finance, Property and Housing. I was first elected in June 2004 as a Parish Councillor, a position I stood down from in 2017 to prioritise other commitments. I became a District Councillor in June 2006, winning my seat from the Liberal Democrats, and still hold this position today. In 2017, I was elected onto the County Council and have been consistently promoted by my leadership to my current position as Lead Member for Finance, Housing and Property. The County Council represent 1.4 million residents and, as Lead for Finance, I manage a gross budget of £2 billion. From starting my political journey with one two-hour meeting every fortnight, I found my passion and over the last five years I moved into politics full-time. If successful in becoming your next MP, I will be standing down from my councillor roles sometime in the New Year.

In terms of national politics, I stood in the Labour safe seat of North Tyneside as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate in 2010. In 2017, I was on the Conservative Parliamentary shortlist to replace Lord Eric Pickles as MP for Brentwood & Ongar in Essex. I came top in the first round but was pipped at the post by my friend Alex Burghart in the second. Alex is currently PPS to our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

Education

I am passionate about enabling all our children to have a first-rate education; and have thrown myself at helping schools and colleges thrive in my communities. I have been Governor of a well-performing primary school and currently act as Governor of the Anderson National Autistic School in Epping Forest, which have each presented their own unique challenges. However, I am most proud of my work with a local Further Education College which had been put in ‘special measures’ at the time that I got involved, meaning that it has been deemed as falling short of acceptable standards and threatened with closure. I first became a Governor and was rapidly ‘promoted’ to Chairman with an urgent brief to save the College. Within 12 months, we managed to turn the College around and I passed the mantle on to others to continue to build on our success.