Ashton Waterloo councillor Vimal Choksi has said he was delighted to formally receive his MBE from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle. 

In June last year, Labour councillor Choksi was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his work in government and the local community. 

Cllr Choksi was elected in 2018 and made history as the first councillor of Indian-origin for the Ashton Waterloo Ward and the first Asian-origin Councillor in Ashton-Under-Lyne.  

He also works in senior management at Oldham Council and as a speaker of three major Indian languages - Gujarati, Hindi and Urdu – he helps with casework and community activism across Greater Manchester and assists other councillors with translation.  

In Ashton-under-Lyne, he is heavily involved in the work of the Swaminarayan and Jalaram Mandir Hindu temples, as well as in the wider Hindu Indian-origin community.  

Cllr Choksi said on his Facebook page: "Delighted to receive an MBE from Princess Anne on yesterday morning at Windsor Castle.

"I dedicate this award to my parents, my family, friends and our wonderful community in Ashton Waterloo.

"I am proud to represent our ward and grateful to serve. Thank you for the recognition." 

Cllr Choksi also received a letter from Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his MBE.

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