Cllr. Manjula Sood MBE (23rd December 1945 – 24th December 2025)
Councillor Manjula Sood MBE
(23 December 1945 – 24 December 2025)
Picture courtesy of Leicester City Council
Manjula’s city was definitely Leicester, where she took a keen interest in all its stories. She loved meeting people and did what she could to bring communities together, always ready with a kind word, practical support and time to listen.
She was involved in many Evington events, including the Evington Village Fete and Show, and she recently thoroughly enjoyed her visit to the Lunch Club at St Denys Parish Centre on 9 April 2025. The Lunch Club is supported by two charities—Best Community Charity and Friends of Evington—and, thanks to her extensive network of contacts, Manjula already knew many of those present.
Manjula was born in India and later lived in Tanzania before coming to Leicester with her new husband, Paul Sood, in 1970. At first, she found the cold, damp weather difficult, and her early living conditions were very challenging. However, following her grandfather’s advice to make the best of her new home, she enrolled on a Postgraduate Certificate of Education course at Leicester’s School of Education and went on to teach for the next 20 years.
As an Asian teacher, Manjula championed the recognition of Indian culture and helped children feel proud of who they were, particularly at a time when newly arrived families—including refugees from Idi Amin’s Uganda—were building new lives in Leicester. She believed that schools should reflect the communities they serve, and she worked to ensure that pupils and parents felt welcomed, respected and included.
A profoundly difficult period came with the death of her husband, Councillor Paul Sood, in 1996. He had been a councillor for Abbey Ward (now Latimer Ward). Her younger son persuaded Manjula to stand in the by-election, saying it would be the best tribute she could pay to Paul’s memory. She won convincingly and, later that year, became Leicester City’s first female Asian councillor.
This marked the start of an illustrious career in public service. Manjula served as Lord Mayor of Leicester from May 2008 to May 2009, becoming the first Asian female Lord Mayor in the UK. During and around her year in office she was appointed an MBE for services to the community and also received an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Laws) from the University of Leicester.
She served as a councillor for Belgrave for many years and returned to the council in 2023 as councillor for Stoneygate. Manjula continued to serve the city in a wide range of roles, including trustee and executive director of the Leicester Council of Faiths, where she was passionate about promoting understanding between religions.
Her co-councillor Raffiq Mahommed said: “Manjula was a true community champion who always saw the best in everyone. She believed deeply in people, in unity, and in bringing communities together. Through her selfless service—first as a teacher, then as a councillor—she helped others realise their potential and create a strong sense of belonging. Manjula’s legacy lives on in the many lives she touched and the community she so lovingly served. The Stoneygate and Evington community have truly lost one of their own, and she will be missed by all her family and those whose lives she touched.”
Tributes have been pouring in for Manjula. Her funeral was held on Saturday 10 January 2026, following a special cortege through the city with stops that allowed friends and residents to pay their respects.
Compiled and edited for publication.
