THE leader of Bury Council is flying the flag for the borough after being recognised for his positive contribution to community.

Cllr Rishi Shori was named a finalist in the public service category at this year's Fusion Awards for his work around social cohesion and young people.

But he lost out to Sunita Gamblin, the Dept Chief Const for Lancashire Constabulary and outside of London, for her leadership which has transformed the force's approach to fairness and inclusion.

The awards seek to improve community relations by providing a platform to celebrate the positive contribution made by individuals and organisations.

Cllr Shori said: "It was obviously nice to be a finalist in a strong field, but the eventual winner, Dept Chief Const Sunita Gamblin is an amazing role model.

"I think that sometimes we take for granted the tireless work that our public servants on the frontline do in local government, the police, fire service and the NHS. They are the real heroes and deserving of recognition."

In 2017, Cllr Shori was appointed to the leadership team of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

As the portfolio lead for young people and social cohesion, Cllr Shori works with young people across the city to give them a voice and increase their potential.

In March, he was a part of the very first meeting of the Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority (GMYCA) — the only one in the country.

In the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attack, Cllr Shori was appointed chair of the Greater Manchester Tackling Hateful Extremism and Promoting Social Cohesion Commission.

The Bury Times published an article in September 2017 after Cllr Shori was named one of the 1,000 most powerful people in Britain on a list compiled by The Guardian in partnership with Operation Black Vote.

Of the 1,000 just 36, equating to three per cent, were from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

He was named a finalist at the Fusion Awards on Saturday, July 7 at the King George's Hall in Blackburn.

The awards are sponsored by UCLAN, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Newsquest's Asian Image among others.