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SCA Team
Meet Our Team

Janpal Basran
Director
Janpal Basran works as the Director of Southall Community Alliance.
Janpal has been working in this leading role at the charity since 2003 but prior to that he had worked for 10 years as a Racial Equality Officer for Hounslow Racial Equality Council. During that time he dealt with numerous cases of people affected by racial harassment or racial discrimination in employment or service delivery. This provided Janpal with experience of dealing with legal cases and representing clients at employment tribunals.
In April 2003 an opportunity to work for Southall Community Alliance arose and Janpal was employed as the Network and Community Development Manager. During this initial period SCA became known for its resource centre support, capacity building assistance and development of its Southall network.
In the years that have followed Janpal has helped develop the organisation to become more financially sustainable and resilient and at the same time to develop projects based upon identified local needs. As a result, the organisation has developed a number of innovative projects tackling contemporary issues such as female genital mutilation, re-development of Spikes Bridge Park community cohesion, establishment of Southall Food Hub, poverty alleviation, teaching of anti-racist history, health and social isolation initiatives and many more. SCA is recognised as an important local voice for Southall partly due to the breadth of this work.
In his spare time Janpal is an avid reader, amateur gardener and a keen badminton player.

Niharika Batra
Community Projects Manager
Niharika is a dedicated Community Projects Manager at Southall Community Alliance, leveraging her extensive experience with youth in India and her academic background in gender and development. As a South Asian immigrant woman, she is deeply committed to serving the underserved immigrant communities in and around Southall. Niharika’s work focuses on empowering local community groups to advocate for their rights and preserve community spaces that foster cohesion. She has also been working on projects focusing on human rights awareness in Southall, tackling isolation and connecting communities through Southall Connect and the ‘Young Voices’ project that engages students on local history using inclusive arts.
Before relocating to England to pursue MA Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies, she worked with the United Nations Development Programme in India, training young people on UN sustainable development goals, gender equality and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. When she’s not diving into community work, in her downtime, Niharika loves diving into water, reliving her days as a National-level swimmer in India.

Kamaljeet Sembhi
Anti-Poverty Support Officer
Kamaljeet Sembhi has been serving as an Anti-Poverty Support Officer at Southall Community Alliance since June 2022, building strong relationships with local community groups. She works closely with voluntary organisations, identifying their needs, and empowering them by helping secure resources and trainings. Kamaljeet also assists in breaking language barriers and addressing digital exclusion, with a strong focus on community development.
She played a key role in bringing London Challenge Poverty Week events to Southall, creating a platform for organisations to engage in meaningful conversations and debates about poverty, current challenges, and the struggles faced by vulnerable individuals.
In addition to her work in poverty support, Kamaljeet has secured training for young people in sports. She is also a radio presenter, Community Cricket coach, and an ambassador committed to increasing the participation of women, girls, and children in sports.
A passionate promoter for arts and culture, she proudly hosted and represented Southall at the Newgen Festival in 2023 and 2024, organised by Ealing Council.