City pays tribute to former Lord Mayor

Former City Councillor Culdipp Bhatti (pictured above), who represented the Rushey Mead ward for 32 years until his retirement last May, has passed away at the age of 80.

A long-serving member of Leicester East Constituency Labour Party, the Punjab-born Mr Bhatti achieved distinction as Leicester’s first ever Sikh Lord Mayor, a role he held from May 1996 to May 1997.

His year of office was particularly notable for the number of trophies won by local sports teams. Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers and Leicestershire County Cricket Club all won national trophies during that period and were duly honoured by the Lord Mayor at the Town Hall.

In 2005, the then Councillor Bhatti, a teacher by profession, was awarded an MBE by the Queen in her Birthday Honours List in recognition of his services to Children in Leicester.

Friends and former colleagues of Mr Bhatti have spoken of their sadness and sorrow at his passing.

Local MP Keith Vaz described him as a “man of honour, integrity and dedication”, while city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby praised his “passion and loyalty”.

Leicester Voice editor, Colin Hall, who served alongside Mr Bhatti as a Councillor for 13 years,  also paid warm and and glowing respects.

Mr Hall, who himself served as Lord Mayor during the 2010-11 municipal year, said, “Culdipp made a phenomenal contribution, over many decades, to the community, the City Council and the Labour Party.  His record speaks for itself.

“As one of the first councillors of Asian origin in this city, he blazed a trail which others later followed.  He provided support and inspiration to so many of us. We could not have achieved what we did without the help that he gave us.

“During his long and distinguished public office, Culdipp received a wide range of honours, all of which he thoroughly deserved.

“But none meant more to him than the tribute paid by his fellow residents of Rushey Mead, by electing him to represent them on nine successive occasions.

“That’s an incredible achievement – which Culdipp was rightly very proud of.  It tells us everything about the esteem in which the community held him.

“My thoughts are with his widow and his family at this distressing time.”

Mr Bhatti’s funeral service will be held at Gilroes Crematorium, Groby Road, Leicester, LE3 9QG on Monday 11th January 2016 at 12.15 noon followed by a religious ceremony at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara Sikh Temple, 106 East Park Road, Leicester LE5 4QB at 13.30pm.

Donations in Mr Bhatti’s memory can be made to ‘Oncology, Ward 40, Leicester Royal Infirmary’.