‘The city of William Wilberforce is also the city of Christopher Alder’: Aneesa Akbar resigns from city council

STEPPING DOWN: Aneesa Akbar. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography

EXCLUSIVE

By Simon Bristow

One of Hull’s most high profile city councillors has resigned, triggering a by-election that will be held on the same day as the Local Elections on May 4.

Aneesa Akbar, the council’s only female BAME member, made the shock announcement in an email to Labour Party colleagues in the city this morning.

Aneesa, a cabinet member in the last Labour administration, said a job opportunity had arisen in the charity sector outside Hull, and it would not be fair to constituents to try to do both.

She said in her statement: “I have made some incredible friends, met people who inspire me with their community activism and I’ve learned so much that I know that I will carry these lessons with me for the rest of my life. This city and its people have given me so much over the last 12 years, and I have been grateful for the opportunity to give something back.

“I have enjoyed working with the many officers of this council who put residents at the heart of everything that they do.”

However, Aneesa also said pursuing her politics had sometimes come “at great personal cost”, and revealed she had suffered a panic attack after being physically intimidated during a council meeting.

She said: “Speaking up and having difficult conversations has also led to some terrible experiences of racism and misogyny, prolonged over time and affecting my health, and having those experiences dismissed by others.”

‘FACED BULLYING, MISOGYNY AND RACISM’: Aneesa Akbar, pictured after being re-elected to the Central ward at last year’s Local Elections

The statement added: “To truly celebrate being the city of William Wilberforce and freedom, we must reflect also on being the city of Christopher Alder and the reluctance from some to acknowledge the institutional biases that led to his death.

“Unfortunately, institutions will always deflect blame when it comes to dealing with policies they put forward, the narratives they set, and the actions they pursue. We need to learn these lessons, to help residents understand how racism is used as a tool to divide us. This is essential understanding for those that wield power.”

Aneesa represented the Central ward for five years and was re-elected in last year’s Local Elections. She served as portfolio holder for communities in the last Labour cabinet until the Liberal Democrats took control of the council last May.

This is Aneesa’s statement in full:

Dear Labour Colleague,

I have served notice to resign my seat and there will be another election in Central. This has been a difficult decision and not one that I’ve taken lightly. A job opportunity has arisen for me in the charity sector that I feel is perfect for me, but unfortunately it will take me outside Hull for significant periods and I feel that to do justice to the residents of Central it is not fair to hold both roles. Central residents deserve to be fully represented by a councillor who can dedicate the time they need.

I have enjoyed representing Central for the last 5 years, it is a diverse and interesting patch. I have made some incredible friends, met people who inspire me with their community activism and I’ve learned so much that I know that I will carry these lessons with me for the rest of my life. This city & its people have given me so much over the last 12 years, and I have been grateful for the opportunity to give something back. I have enjoyed working with the many officers of this council who put residents at the heart of everything that they do.

I am proud that whilst here I have been able to promote and embed safety and trade unionism in my work. Whether fighting for the safety of Hull taxi drivers, supporting youth provision within the area or the recent collaborative work undertaken with the aim of improving the safety of workers travelling home, I’ve strived to bring local residents together to fight inequality.

As someone who often felt as though my voice didn’t matter, it is the Labour and Trade Union movement that helped me find my voice. My politics has always been about helping the voiceless within our system recognise their power and strength, and amplifying those where I can. With issues such as class, LGBTQ+, race, disability, I have always tried to listen, learn and raise difficult topics with the council… sometimes at great personal cost.

Speaking up and having difficult conversations has also led to some terrible experiences of racism & misogyny, prolonged over time and affecting my health, and having those experiences dismissed by others.

On one occasion, a man on the opposition benches used their physical presence to intimidate me into a panic attack in a full council meeting, only to have a Council staff member belittle my experience. If this is how I was treated as a member with numerous witnesses – how are staff treated if they have experienced bullying and intimidation? Reflection is needed on what it actually means to be a “trauma informed” city.

As the only woman councillor of colour, who has been vocal and rocked the boat, the racism I have faced has been deeply unpleasant and disturbing. A target has often been placed on my back by the media and even when I have called out our political opponents’ hypocrisy, the response has sometimes been to use racism to try and silence me.

To truly celebrate being the city of William Wilberforce and freedom, we must reflect also on being the city of Christopher Alder and the reluctance from some to acknowledge the institutional biases that led to his death. Unfortunately, institutions will always deflect blame when it comes to dealing with policies they put forward, the narratives they set, and the actions they pursue. We need to learn these lessons, to help residents understand how racism is used as a tool to divide us. This is essential understanding for those that wield power.

I will say this – whenever I have faced abuse, residents from across the city have stood up against those institutional biases with me. I will always be grateful to the many people who called out clearly racially motivated attacks by those who held significant power in this city.

There are many of you that I will miss and many of you that I will always hold dear for the support that you have given me over the years.

I want to thank Daren Hale for his support. I came in with lots of ideas, lots of passion and lots of enthusiasm to make a difference for the residents of Central and this great city. I was encouraged and supported to make my presence felt in our group meetings to push policy within the council. I was always allowed to occupy space. There are some that will only listen when it suits, and I am sure that I have been an irritant at times. Daren always made sure that he gave me space to feel empowered to make decisions within this council.

I will end now, as I am at risk of my resignation letter being as long (and maybe as boring to some!) as my acceptance speech in 2018!

Thank you to all those that have made this such a special part of my life. I will continue to fight for Labour values and work towards Labour victories and really hope that Hull Labour is returned to power in Hull in May 2023.

In solidarity,

Aneesa Akbar