Leader of Oldham Council, Arooj Shah, has said it is an "honour" to be shortlisted for Leader of the Year at an awards ceremony recognising councillors around the country.

Cllr Shah is one of six council leaders to be nominated for the prestigious award at the 2024 Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) and CCLA Councillor Awards.

Hundreds of nominations were received across the five categories, however Cllr Shah has been shortlisted amongst the select few for an award.

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Oldham's leader said: "It was such an honour to be nominated for council leader of the year in the first place; being shortlisted is an even greater one. 

"It is lovely that I have been personally recognised, but it isn’t really about me as this nomination is only possible because of the huge progress we’ve made together in Oldham.

"It sends out a strong message that we are a stable, credible council that is making the lives of Oldham people better.

"Prestigious recognition like this shows why Oldham’s time is now."

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Winners of the 15th edition of the awards in England and Wales will be announced at the Guildhall in London on Wednesday, November 20.

Along with Leader of the Year, the other awards are Community Champion, Young Councillor of the Year, Innovator of the Year and Lifetime Legend.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of LGIU, said: "The judging panel was blown away by the number of extremely high quality nominations this year, with councillors up and down the country going the extra mile for residents.  The shortlist for the 2024 Cllr Awards contains the most devoted elected representatives in England, Wales and Scotland. 

"With councils operating under enormous pressure, these Awards are a hugely important way to champion what councillors achieve in the places we live. Congratulations to all the councillors nominated and shortlisted and I look forward to announcing the winners in November.”