Slough councillor dies from Covid-19

By James Bagley, Local Democracy Reporting Service

A SERVING councillor has passed away from coronavirus, Slough Borough Council has announced.

Councillor Shabnum Sadiq (Labour: Wexham Lea) was on a trip to Pakistan when she fell ill with Covid-19 and died on Monday (6), following complications from the virus.

In May 2016, councillor Sadiq was elected to Wexham Lea Ward and served on various council committees and was, for a time, lead member for education and children services.

Councillor James Swindlehurst, leader of the council, paid tribute to her and said: “This is very shocking for all of us and our thoughts are with her family and friends.

“Shabnum was a dedicated councillor and despite only being in her first term, she had made a contribution far beyond the years she’d spent in the council chamber.

“We worked together closely and personally I will miss her very deeply. This is a significant loss for the council and the town, but is nothing compared to the loss her family, close friends and community are feeling right now.

“This has brought home to us that not only is this virus something we have to deal with as a town, but also personally; through our work, through our actions and through our grief for those it has taken.

“Behind every statistic about this virus is a family ripped apart and there is no starker example of that, to us in the council, than to lose one our colleagues.

“May she rest in peace and her family find comfort in the love she had for them all.”

Councillor Sadiq is survived by her husband and five children.

The flags at Observatory House and St Martins Place are flying at half mast as a sign of respect.