A Swindon Borough councillor has been shortlisted for the most prestigious local government awards in the country – for the second year running.

It may seem like déjà vu, but Bazil Solomon, the Conservative councillor for Liden, Eldene and park South has again been listed with five other councillors from across the country as ‘Community Champion’ in the Cllr awards put on by Local Government Information Unit, a not-for-profit, non-partisan membership organisation.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU said: “In a year like no other, councillors up and down the country have once again been working tirelessly to address the needs of their residents and bring much-needed leadership to communities that are struggling day in and day out.

“The 2022 Cllr Awards shortlist is a reflection of the dedication and resilience shown by councillors during some of the most turbulent and worrying years in recent history.

"From supporting communities through flooding emergencies and fires to welcoming refugees from Ukraine into our local communities, these councillors are some of the most committed elected representatives across England and Wales. We are incredibly proud to showcase their stories in this year’s shortlist.

“Congratulations to all of the shortlisted councillors. We look forward to unveiling the winners of this 13th annual Cllr Awards in Bath on October 20.”

Coun Solomon has been again nominated for his work in the community - something he’s done so much of he’s been given the role of community heritage champion at the council.

He said: “There have been a few new things I’ve been involved in. There’s a group on mental health for Asian and black women because there was a real gap there.

“I started working with the Polish community to get aid across to Ukraine. We started in town at the Polish centre and put something on Facebook. Then we saw people coming in to bring things for Ukrainians, we didn’t expect it to take off like that- and charities and other organisations got involved and companies were offering free trucks.”

Coun Solomon has often used football as a way of helping youngsters at risk of getting in trouble and he continued this. He said: “There were a lot of stories about Afghan refugees and how nobody knew where they were going and we started working with them and in the end set up a football team for Afghan refugees with the help of the Wiltshire FA.”

A panel of judges from across the sector will select the winners, who will be revealed at the Cllr Awards ceremony taking place on October 20 at the Roman Baths and Guildhall in Bath.