Ayesha Azad first campaigned for her local Conservative candidate in 1992, while still a student. After he lost by three votes, the Labour candidate’s campaign manager went to her parents' house and complained to her father that she had helped defeat his candidate. That did nothing - except encourage her to keep going!
Ayesha was elected to Woking Borough Council in 2014. She served as Deputy Leader and then Leader of the Council between October 2020 and May 2022. She was also elected to Surrey County Council in 2017 and re-elected in 2021.
As Leader, Ayesha pioneered major changes in the council; introducing unprecedented resident engagement measures, new financial and council governance reviews, an Animal Welfare Policy and beginning a masterplan to address the issue of Woking Town Centre development. She also helped to keep a large area of green belt in her ward intact, stopping proposals to remove it for development.
As well as her council work, Ayesha is a volunteer mentor for Surrey Care Trust, whose mission is to tackle disadvantage and hardship in local communities by equipping young people and families with skills to improve their lives. She has also been a school governor in Woking and is involved with animal welfare charities in the UK and overseas. She regularly helps organise and take part in community litter picks.
