Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, Leader of Hounslow Council, released the following statement on behalf of the Labour Group:
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Cllr Sukhbir Dhaliwal, Labour Councillor for Cranford Ward.
“All of our thoughts are with his loved ones, his colleagues, and the wider Hounslow community, for which he was such a devoted and tireless champion.
“A bastion of the community. Cllr Dhaliwal was first elected in 1994 to serve Cranford residents. Since returning as a councillor in 2016, he proudly represented Cranford, where he lived for nearly 50 years.
“A bastion of the Labour movement. Sukhbir spent his whole working life as a bus driver and conductor. During that time, he was an active member of the T&G Union, advocating for a fair deal for his fellow transport workers. His knowledge, experience and passion for protecting our public services was clear for all to see. As a councillor, he worked tirelessly to continue contributing to the improvement of public services in Hounslow. He became a much loved member of the Hounslow Labour family.
“Sukhbir lived in Cranford from 1975. He brought up his children here and they went to local schools. He was dedicated to improving his local environment and supported major tree-planting efforts to improve Cranford’s parks and streets.
“He described his service as a councillor as ‘an honour and a privilege’. It showed. His legacy in Cranford will be there to see for many generations to come.
“On a personal level, Cllr. Dhaliwal was always a joy to work with, he was a part of the generation of Councillors who understood that new talent needed to be nurtured so the Council could succeed and would always be around to offer guidance and support when asked. He was perceptive and thoughtful and able to explain things in a way that made sense.
“He was a trade unionist through and through and was respected by those who worked with him. He had an exceptional memory, a career on the buses meant he could direct you across London one bus at a time (and we often tested him on that!). He was a man of Cranford and Hounslow, and loved by all who knew him.
“The pride he felt for his local area, the passion he showed for protecting public services and standing up for the community, and the warmth and generosity of spirit that defined his years of public service, should be a model to us all.”