Shazna Muzammil-Cook is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Milton Keynes City Council and Councillor for Tattenhoe Ward.
Born in Sri Lanka, she grew up in a community where opportunities for girls were scarce. Married off young, she fought for her freedom, gained custody of her children, and completed her education — earning an MBA (Hons) from Cardiff Metropolitan University and later a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Management from The Open University.
Education transformed Shazna’s life, and this has fuelled her determination to create opportunities for others. She has worked internationally as Head of Business Development and Strategic Communications at Wunderman Thompson Sri Lanka, led Internal and External Communications at MAS Holdings, and was a Board Member of the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce, where she connected women to mentors and businesses to help them become economically independent. She was recently recognised for her work and is now the recipient of a global award for Social and Women Empowerment.
After moving to Milton Keynes with her husband David, a veteran of the Parachute Regiment, Shazna joined The Open University, where she created the Accessibility Tool now used by the university to support students in prison and disabled students.
Alongside her professional work, she has spent time volunteering as an Appropriate Adult supporting young people in custody — an experience that inspired her to stand as a councillor after seeing how much better the council could do to support young offenders. She is also a St John Ambulance vaccinator, an NHS responder, and a mentor with Children Heard and Seen. As part of her council work, she sits on the boards of MK Dons Sport & Education Trust, The Parks Trust and MK Arts Centre.
Championing Conservative Values and the Party
Shazna is a strong believer in the Conservative values of freedom, opportunity and personal responsibility. She believes that for people to truly succeed, they need the freedom to achieve and innovate, the opportunities to excel, and minimal interference from government because when enterprise thrives, it creates jobs, drives opportunity, and gives back to the local economy.
She first stood as a council candidate in 2021 in a Labour stronghold, and whilst she lost, she increased the Conservative vote share by 7% to come a close second. In 2022, she won the Tattenhoe seat from the Labour incumbent — the only Conservative to gain a seat from Labour or the Liberal Democrats that year. In 2024, she was unanimously elected as Leader of the Conservative Group on Milton Keynes City Council.
Alongside her council role, Shazna holds a number of senior positions within the Conservative Party. She is a voting member of the National Convention and serves on the leadership teams of the Buckinghamshire Area and the Milton Keynes Conservative Federation, supporting membership growth, fundraising and candidate development. She is also Chair of the Conservative Women’s Organisation in Milton Keynes and Area Chair for CWO South East, where she champions greater female participation in politics.
In 2024, she stood as the Parliamentary Candidate for Birmingham Ladywood, running against the now Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood. It was a powerful experience that led to her being invited to open the 2024 Conservative Party Conference alongside Sir Andy Street, Penny Mordaunt, Lord Daniel Hannan and Party Chair Richard Fuller MP.
Milton Keynes – Unlocking Our City’s Potential
Shazna believes Milton Keynes is a city full of untapped potential. Situated at the heart of the Oxford–Cambridge Arc and with Universal Studios being developed just across its border, the city is perfectly placed to attract global investment and new opportunities. It is home to a thriving business community and a young, dynamic workforce — yet too many local people are still being left behind.
Under Labour–Liberal Democrat leadership, Milton Keynes City Council has become wasteful and careless with residents’ hard-earned money. While costs rise for residents, bins are left uncollected, roads are crumbling, basic services are failing, and funds are being poured into vanity projects instead of core priorities.
Shazna wants to see investment that benefits all of Milton Keynes — not just a privileged few in certain sectors. She believes in backing small businesses, supporting young people into work, and creating a city where families can thrive, not just survive.
Building the Future – and Encouraging Others to Step Up
With all-out elections coming in 2026, Shazna is leading a bold campaign to change the council’s direction and rebuild trust in local government. Having led the Conservative Group for two years, she knows that change will only come if more local champions step forward — which is why she is spearheading the Ask Her to Stand campaign in Milton Keynes to encourage more women and young people to stand for election.
She is determined to build a council that works with — not against — its residents, and to deliver a city that works for everyone.
Her Priorities for Milton Keynes
- Attracting the right kind of investment that creates real opportunities for local people
- Restoring pride and trust in the city by fixing what’s broken and ending waste
- Championing education, skills and aspiration for young people
- Building a council that listens to residents and works with them
- Building safer communities where children can walk home in the dark without feeling afraid
Shazna is passionate about making Milton Keynes a place where everyone has the chance to succeed — and she is determined to lead that change. After 11 years of Labour–Liberal Democrat rule, she hopes residents will place their trust in the local Conservatives to bring real change to Milton Keynes.
“Real change will only come when local people have the power, the opportunities and the belief to shape the future of our city — and I will stand with them every step of the way.” -Shazna Muzammil-Cook, Leader of the Conservative Group on Milton Keynes City Council
If you would like to stand with her to build a better Milton Keynes, contact: [email protected].