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Head of Law at Dudley wins ‘Inspirational Leader Award’ at LLG Awards 2021

Mohammed Farooq, Monitoring Officer and Head of the Law and Governance Division at Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, won the Inspirational Leader Award 2021 at the LLG Awards 2021 last night (15 July).

Dudley MBC also won the Democratic Functions and Governance Award for 2021.

The winners of the other six categories at the LLG Awards 2021 were:

  • Extra Mile Award: Monika Miles from Warwickshire County Council
  • Junior Lawyer of the Year: Ala Sairani of Wolverhampton City Council
  • Project Delivery Award: Brighton & Hove City Council – Alice Rowland, Head of Commercial Law, and the Commercial Legal Team
  • Newcomer Award: Kerryn Woollett from North West Leicestershire District Council
  • Innovation Award: Wigan Council
  • Community Champion and Public Health Award: Gedling Borough Council

After Mr Farooq was shortlisted for the award, Dudley MBC said earlier this month: “Diagnosed with a rare blood condition from a young age, he has battled through adversity and continues to lead a high performing law and governance team at Dudley Council. For Mohammed, the significant professional challenges of responding to frequently emerging and changing legislation of the pandemic was exacerbated by the threat that the pandemic posed to his health.

“But over a year of challenge, Mohammed has guided his teams to continued high performance and success. Mohammed has responsibility for around 100 staff and in addition to the court room activity, Mohammed also has managerial responsibility for Health and Safety, Democratic Services and Elections. Over the last 12 months Mohammed has steered the authority’s health and safety response, guided the authority’s democratic services team to deliver the country’s first scrutiny process around a council’s coronavirus response, receiving national praise and in the Local Elections, Dudley became one of only a handful of authorities to declare results overnight after Mohammed’s guidance of the elections team gave the Returning Officer confidence that a covid secure overnight count could be delivered.”

Mohammed Farooq said: “We’ve achieved at lot at Dudley over the recent years and the last 12 months has been a huge professional challenge but I’m pleased with the way we have handled the legislative challenges Covid has presented whilst also continuing to maintain and enhance our ‘business as usual’ services.

“In terms of my health, I am so grateful to the doctors and nurses at the Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Centre, at the City Hospital, Birmingham who have supported me and I’m keen to do what I can to put something back and support others. When I attend my monthly transfusion sessions the staff ask me to speak to at least one or two young people who have similar rare blood conditions to myself. I am happy to convey that if I can do it, anyone can do it, and I hope my words will help them believe that any condition should not hold them back from following their dreams.”

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