Published Thursday 10 February 2022 at 9:21
At the end of this week, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Strategic Director for Adult Social Care & Health will leave his office in Duke Street for the final time.
After 20 years with the local authority, Sayyed Osman is moving on to take up the post of Deputy Chief Executive for People Services at Oldham Council.
Sayyed, who has lived in Blackburn most of his life, has given over 30 years’ service to the public sector.
Sayyed began his career in what was then the Council’s housing department, managing a variety of strands including planned maintenance, improvement schemes, community support and anti-social behaviour. Over the next decade, Sayyed climbed the ladder in a number of roles in social housing providers including Anchor Trust and the Guinness Trust where he was Head of Regeneration and Investment for the North Region.
He joined Blackburn with Darwen Council in February 2002 as Assistant Director (Chief Officer) of Regeneration. Sayyed has since worked at Deputy Director and Director level, with responsibility for a number of departments, including Environment, more recently Adult Social Care and Health, Safeguarding, Community Safety, Prevent & Countering Extremism, Neighbourhoods, Adult Learning, Social Integration, Housing Needs and Homelessness.
Sayyed’s contribution to the communities of East Lancashire was recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours list at the start of 2022.
Sayyed Osman MBE commented:
I have been very proud and privileged to serve as a chief officer at Blackburn with Darwen. This borough is a magical place – we find ways of doing things here that makes us quite unique. We work under the ethos of doing things better for our residents and strive to make a difference.
In life generally, it’s very important to me to give, and I have tried my best to give as much as I could to this borough. I’ve tried to make a positive difference and to have a big heart in the way I go about my work.
I am definitely a better person for the 20 years that I have worked for Blackburn with Darwen. I’ve grown as a person and as a director, and I feel I’m ready now to take on my next challenge.
Most of all, I will miss the great people that I have had the pleasure of working with. I have appointed many colleagues in their jobs and have taken great pride in being able to develop people.
I’m going to be really sad to leave but the time is right.
Sayyed’s many achievements of the last two decades include:
- Developing the Housing Market Renewal programme for Blackburn with Darwen, and bringing over £200m investment into the borough
- Leading as project director on the building of the Darwen Aldridge Academy that enabled the borough to secure over £200m investment in Building Schools for the Future
- Developing the borough’s neighbourhood offer promoting Adult Learning, employability, training and community development, and developing partnerships with the community and voluntary sector leading to the current model with partners such as the NHS and Primary Care
- Joint–working with Hyndburn BC to support their regeneration and housing programmes, supporting investment in health facilities, development of the West Accrington Masterplan and the original plans for Junction 6 of the M65 that has now been developed by the EG Group
- Working with the Environment department including the improvement of parks, and the building of a new motor vehicle service station that enabled Accrol to develop into one of the largest tissue manufacturers
- Developing a strong Community Safety Partnership, which has led to securing investment to improve the safety of local neighbourhoods, and working across departments and communities to implement neighbourhood and Ward solutions
- Leading major events such as the first Festival of Making, royal & ministerial visits, and responses to emergencies such as the floods in Darwen and the Paterson Street fire
- Improving the way we work with faith communities through engagement resulting in positive civic participation in the borough at key events such as Remembrance Sunday and also schemes around the celebration of Eid, notably enabling the Park & Ride and Eid in the Park initiatives
- Leading the Council’s flagship ‘Your Community, Your Call’ programme designed to empower communities to get involved directly in improving their neighbourhoods
- Leading on the transformation of quality housing for older people, such as the new extra care facility at Albion Mill
- The improvement of housing through clearance programmes, private sector renewal and leading the Housing Growth plan in 2015 that has been a catalyst to much of the new housing development in the borough
- Improving local services to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping, with a focus on prevention work and sustainability
- Leading on the borough’s government-funded social integration programme, to help build a stronger borough, building on programmes such as 100 Voices, the Belonging to BwD campaign, Good Relations programme, Discovering Communities and the Good Neighbour scheme
- Most recently, leading the Council’s work to support communities through the Covid pandemic, including engagement, care sector response, helping vulnerable communities and working with faith communities to enable safer participation and the facilitation of burial support.
Coun Mohammed Khan CBE, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said:
During his time at the Council, Sayyed has had responsibility for a wide range of portfolios.
He has demonstrated aspirational leadership with a strong vision of working in partnership – with the police, with health authorities and with other local partners – always with the objective of making a real difference for the people of Blackburn with Darwen.
Sayyed’s passion for this borough is outstanding and he has served our communities very well, treating them with real distinction and respect.
I will miss Sayyed, but I’m very pleased that I have had the chance to work closely with him over the last 20 years. I am grateful for the advice and support he has given to me personally in my role as Council leader.
Denise Park, Blackburn with Darwen Council Chief Executive, added:
As the Council’s longest serving chief officer, Sayyed has handled a huge number of projects – from the days of Housing Market Renewal, to the creation of Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, and the very latest Albion Mill development, to name just a few.
Sayyed has always been on hand to share his sage advice, not just with me and his fellow directors, but with his teams and other colleagues too. That’s something we will all miss – both his wisdom and the way he always makes time for others.
His new role at Oldham Council presents him with a really great opportunity, and I know that he will have the same positive impact there as he has here.
We all wish him the very best in his new role.