A CHAMPION of the No Place for Hate campaign in East London has been shortlisted for an award for council workers. Menera Ahmed who is the hate crime policy and partnership manager at Tower Hamlets council is in the running for a prize in the community

A CHAMPION of the No Place for Hate campaign in East London has been shortlisted for an award for council workers.

Menera Ahmed who is the hate crime policy and partnership manager at Tower Hamlets council is in the running for a prize in the community engagement category in the Local Government Association Awards.

Her team are involved in the fight against hate crime in Tower Hamlets and her work on communicating with the borough's most vulnerable groups led to an invite to Number Ten Downing Street by the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Limehouse resident Sir Ian McKellen and Wapping's Dame Helen Mirren have signed up to the council's No Place for Hate Pledge which encourages people to make a stand against hate.

Menera said: "While we've made giant strides in combating hate crime, we know that one incident is one too many and has the potential to cause community unrest. That's why we're constantly developing better ways to empower and work with the community, make it easier for the public to access our support and protection and ensure that we take the appropriate action following an incident.

"Community Engagement is not just about listening and caring, but also providing tools that inspire local people to act and make decisions that unify and strengthen our community."

Voting for the awards opens today, Monday 17 May and the public can vote for their favourite candidates at www.localgovernmentchannel.com/awards or texting 80039 quoting LGATV 1MenaraA.