New appointment to boost community engagement and investment in Bradford and Keighley

Sadar Uddin has joined Manningham Housing Association as Community Partnerships and Investment Manager.

He will work with the association’s partners and stakeholders to deliver economic and social wellbeing improvement projects for customers and neighbourhoods in Bradford and Keighley.

Mr Uddin arrives following more than 16  years as New Initiatives Manager at Great Places Housing Group where he worked on a wide variety of internally and externally funded schemes in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Sheffield.

His career began with Citizens Advice Bureau in Croydon where he provided guidance on welfare benefit rights and housing-related casework.

He later served as Housing Access Officer and then Senior Rehousing Officer at Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, before being seconded to Ashiana Housing Association to work on a regeneration project which led to the construction of 88 affordable homes for a newly-formed BME housing co-operative.

A certified housing practitioner, Mr Uddin is also a Lancashire BME Network board member and acts as company secretary for Bangladesh Welfare Association, a Burnley-based charity.

Lee Bloomfield, Manningham Housing Association Chief Executive, said: “We are really pleased that Sadar is joining us to lead on the continued rolling out of our Community Investment Strategy which was launched shortly before the first Covid lockdown in 2020 and has made a real difference to many people’s lives.

“It was devised to strengthen community resilience and, especially through our award-winning Building Bridges Bradford project which attracted significant external funding, we have achieved remarkable levels of success across the district.

“With the onset of new challenges headed by the ever-deepening cost of living crisis, Sadar is an ideal fit to enable us to maintain the forward momentum our hard-earned reputation for excellence is built on.”

Sadar Uddin said: “I am delighted to be here with Manningham Housing Association. They are wonderful people from diverse backgrounds who work together as a family.

“Meeting colleagues from different teams with various roles and responsibilities, it is clear that everyone is strongly committed to a single goal, which is to provide good quality housing and related services to communities living in the Bradford and Keighley catchment area and beyond.

“I look forward to having an additional impact.”

Established in 1986, Manningham Housing Association manages more than 1,400 homes for over 6,000 residents in Bradford and Keighley.

It is the first housing association in the country to be officially accredited for its work in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.