Oldham Mayor Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE has spoken publicly for the first time about the death of his wife Afsheen, describing her as his “personal backbone” and crediting her with making his community work possible.

In an emotional interview with Oldham Community Radio 99.7 FM, the mayor revealed how the mother of three, who died earlier this year after battling cancer, enabled his dreams of public service. “They say behind every successful man, there is a woman. Actually, she was truly that woman… because she allowed me to fulfil my dreams and allowed me to do the things I wanted to do,” he said. “She genuinely believed this is the right thing to do, not live for yourself.”

The mayor praised Oldham’s community response during his wife’s illness, noting that churches, synagogues, mosques and temples all prayed for her. “I think of her funeral, thousands of people attending on such a short notice. That is a testimony to the community of Oldham and how loving and caring we can be,” he said. “If anyone tells you Oldham is a bad place - no, it’s not. I’m a living example of that.”

Dr Chauhan, who has donated his entire mayoral allowance to local food banks for three consecutive years, expressed deep concern about rising food poverty in the town. “I think as a society, we have accepted it’s okay to have food banks but unfortunately I see it getting worse,” he warned. “We have children here in my town who are relying on food banks… we have people working two, sometimes three jobs and are still struggling to eat.”

The mayor argued that food banks should not exist in a proper welfare state. “It should be the state’s responsibility to feed its people and make sure they have food on the table,” he said, rejecting claims that users are work-shy. “This is a daily struggle and I think as a society we just don’t talk about those things.”

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