Councillor for Patcham Alistair McNair nominated for award

Alistair McNair, Conservative councillor for Patcham, is up for the resilience and recovery award - which is for people who work on social issues through community work.

Cllr McNair has worked in the community supporting Ukrainians.

The 45-year-old said he was “surprised” by the nomination.

Alistair McNair in front of the opera house in Lviv back in March (Image: Newsquest)

He said: “For the awards you get nominated by residents. I was nominated for my work with Ukrainians in Brighton and Hove.

“Of course it’s a great honour and very surprising.

“There are so many people who do more for Ukrainians in the city than me. People hosting, people running events, organising meetings with the council.

“I have done what I can as a councillor by attending events for Ukrainians and help when I can. I am conscious that I have been nominated but there is so many people who have done so much for Ukrainians.

“One thing this nomination will allow me to do is to remind people the war is still happening, thank people for what they have done for the Ukrainian community.

Alistair and his wife Tetiana celebrating Ukraine's Independence Day in August (Image: Alistair McNair)

“We still need hosts, we still need help. The war is still ongoing.”

The awards ceremony is hosted by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU).

This year's event will be in Bath on October 20.

Cllr McNair lived in Ukraine for eight years and met his wife Tetiana while out there.

The Argus revealed how the pair made the trip to Kremenchuk in central Ukraine back in March to rescue his mother-in-law Tamara.

Cllr McNair said the journey was “quite something” and told of hearing “eerie” air raid sirens while out walking, witnessing machine gun-manned roadblocks and sitting on trains with blackout curtains to avoid being targeted by Russian attacks.

Tamara stayed at their home in Brighton before returning to Ukraine in July.

On Friday Russia will formally annex occupied parts of Ukraine where it held Kremlin-orchestrated “referendums” in which it claimed that residents had voted overwhelmingly to live under Moscow’s rule.

The Ukrainian government and the West have denounced the ballots as illegal, forced and rigged.

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive for 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 the 20th of October.”