After more than a decade representing Sutton Wylde Green, I take an honest look at what public service really demands, what it has given back, and how the work has changed both my community and me.
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I didn’t grow up around politics. I grew up behind the counter of my parents’ takeaway in Birmingham, doing homework to the smell of oil, folding menus to pass the time, and waiting upstairs until my mum could take my sister and me home.
My parents arrived from Hong Kong in the 1970s with very little, but with a determination to give their children the opportunities they never had.
I hardly saw my father during the week. He was working when we finished school and asleep when we left in the morning.
Weekends were not days off; they were days to help.
I peeled prawns, packed orders, wiped counters, and watched first hand what it meant to build something from nothing.
That business was not just a livelihood, it was everything. My parents took enormous risks to make it work, often with very little to fall back on.
From them, I learned the value of hard work, resilience, and responsibility, lessons that have stayed with me ever since.
School life brought its own challenges, and those experiences shaped my outlook in ways I only came to fully understand later. They instilled in me a deep sense of empathy and a determination to stand up for those who feel unheard or vulnerable.
That commitment has guided much of my work in public service, whether as a school governor, a magistrate, or in my role supporting vulnerable children and families.
After university, I wanted to broaden my perspective and better understand the world beyond my own community. I spent time volunteering in Botswana, Ghana, and Zambia, working with communities facing real hardship but demonstrating extraordinary resilience.
Those experiences left a lasting impression, particularly seeing how, even in the most difficult circumstances, people retained a strong sense of dignity, hope, and community.
I later taught in a state secondary school in Shanghai, where I saw a very different kind of pressure. Classrooms were large, expectations were high, and students worked incredibly hard to succeed.
It reinforced my belief in the transformative power of education, but also the importance of balance, wellbeing, and support for young people.
Returning to Birmingham, I took on the responsibility of the family business, eventually expanding it to employ over 20 staff across three sites. Running a business brought home the realities of leadership, not just making decisions, but understanding that people and families depend on you. It deepened my sense of accountability and my commitment to the community we served.
It was around this time that I began to think more seriously about how I could contribute locally.
I had always felt a strong sense of duty to give back, but it was not until the opportunity arose to stand in Walmley, where I live, that I realised public service through elected office was the right path for me.
I did not come from a traditional political background, but I came with a lifetime of experience, from the takeaway counter to classrooms abroad, from volunteering overseas to running a local business.
Those experiences had shaped a simple belief: that public service is about standing up for your community, supporting those who need it most, and working hard to make a positive difference.
In 2015, I was elected as a councillor, and I have sought ever since to serve with the same values I learned growing up: hard work, resilience, and a commitment to others.
Because long before I was ever a councillor, I was a boy doing homework under a takeaway counter, watching my parents work tirelessly to build a better future. And I have never forgotten who I am here to serve.
Thank you for reading the first post in this four‑part series about my journey in public service. If you’d like to talk about anything I’ve shared, you can find me at Sweetfields Bakery on the last Thursday of each month, or visit alexyip.co.uk.
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