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"I am honoured, humbled and proud to serve as the Mayor for Blackburn with Darwen, and am looking forward to a positive and successful year ahead.I want to help people. There isn’t a family in Blackburn with Darwen who can say they weren’t affected by the past two years. Health, education or employment, everyone has been dealing with something.It’s going to be a challenge. After two years, things are opening up now. I know I’m going to be busy.Blackburn with Darwen has so much to offer. I want to highlight help for the homeless in the borough. I want to be a champion for mental health, to get people to the services that can help them, show them how they can help each other.I’m also passionate about education. I want to find a way to bring first aid education to school children to help bring more health resilience to our communities."
He added:
"I speak many languages, so I will be connecting with all communities to engage them and encourage them to get involved and make a positive difference in BwD."
Councillor Khonat is planning to use his Mayoral year meeting people across our diverse communities and encouraging everyone to help make the Borough a better place.
Councillor Khonat was born and raised in Malawi, Africa. He has lived and worked in Blackburn with Darwen since 1976. Councillor Khonat was first elected in 2004, as the Labour councillor for the Shear Brow Ward (now known as the Shear Brow and Corporation Park Ward). He has been a committed community servant for over 18 years.
During his councillor career, Coun Khonat has served on several committees including as Vice Chair. for the Planning and Highways Committee, as Chair. of the Scrutiny Committee, and on the Licencing Committee.
Since 2001, Khonat has served as a local Magistrate and feels particularly proud to be able to provide this service to the community.
Councillor Suleman Khonat is a passionate volunteer for East Lancashire Hospice, a cause close to his heart. Along with raising awareness of the services throughout East Lancashire, he has highlighted how the hospice can individually support families and the entire community and helped to raise funds in excess of £250,000 for this worthy cause.
A widower and a proud father of five children and ten grandchildren, Councillor Khonat loves spending time with all of them, especially after the events of the last two years. And his family are keen to support him in this important community role – the BwD Mayoress and Consort titles this year will be shared between his children: Sumayya Mayat, Hajra Sath, Reyhana Khonat, Ridwan Khonat (Consort), Hameema Khan and Sumaiya Khonat, who between them have plenty of professional expertise to share with local organisations and Mayoral charities.
During his councillor career, Coun Khonat has served on several committees including as Vice Chair. for the Planning and Highways Committee, as Chair. of the Scrutiny Committee, and on the Licencing Committee.
Since 2001, Khonat has served as a local Magistrate and feels particularly proud to be able to provide this service to the community.
Councillor Suleman Khonat is a passionate volunteer for East Lancashire Hospice, a cause close to his heart. Along with raising awareness of the services throughout East Lancashire, he has highlighted how the hospice can individually support families and the entire community and helped to raise funds in excess of £250,000 for this worthy cause.
Councillor Khonat is also a volunteer with Blackburn Muslim Burial Society which offers a vital support service to local bereaved families.
In 2018, Khonat was shortlisted for a B.B.C. Community Hero Award for his fundraising.
Education for BwD communities is important to Coun Khonat, who has volunteered as a governor of Blackburn’s Tauheedul Islamic Girls’ High School since its start up.
Councillor Khonat has lived and worked in Blackburn for over 40 years. He worked as a weaver at Witton Mill within Blackburn’s textile industry. He later worked as a bus conductor and had a few other jobs, before becoming a successful newsagent owner. He later became national President for the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, an organisation supporting independent retailers.
Councillor Khonat has selected three main charities to support during his year in office: East Lancashire Hospice, Nightsafe and Anaphylaxis Awareness.
Nevertheless, the Mayor, Mayoresses and Consort would also like to support other local charities throughout their Mayoral year by helping raise awareness for them and helping as many as possible during his year in office.
Councillor Parwaiz Akhtar
Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, 2023 - 2024
Councillor Parwaiz Akhtar, who has been a Labour councillor representing the Bastwell & Daisyfield ward since 2004, was made the borough’s first citizen at the annual Mayor Making ceremony in Blackburn Town Hall on Thursday 18 May 2023.
Councillor Akhtar was born in Jhelum, Pakistan in 1960. At the age of 10, his family moved to Great Harwood, and a couple of years later settled in Blackburn, where he has lived ever since.
He is a former pupil of Pleckgate High School. He left school in the summer of 1977 and went straight into the world of work – his first job was as an Apprentice Textile Weaver at Higham’s Ltd, in Great Harwood. After four years, he took on a machine operator role at Precision Polymer Engineering in Blackburn.
Having always enjoyed working with people, Councillor Akhtar moved into community work around 1990. His first public sector role was working with young people as a Community Development Officer for the Ethnic Minority Development Association, and around the same time he volunteered at Bangor Street Youth & Community Centre.
Alongside work, Councillor Akhtar studied part-time at Blackburn College to boost his qualifications, and became a Basic Skills Tutor at Training 2000 in 1995. As well as supporting people with English and Maths, he helped them get into training, further education and employment.
In 2012, Councillor Akhtar started work for the NHS at Royal Blackburn Hospital. Over the next decade he had various roles including ward clerk and support worker, and currently works as a Healthcare Assistant within Critical Care.
Over the last 19 years as a ward councillor, Councillor Akhtar has served on many committees within the Council: lead member for the Environment Services, Adult Social Care Services, Chair of the Licensing Committee, and Chair of the Standards Committee. He also serves as a governor at Cedars Primary School in Blackburn.
Councillor Akhtar will be supported in his Mayoral role by two Mayoresses, his wife of 29 years Shagufta and his daughter Sabbah, and also two Consorts, his sons Umar and Tauseef.
Together they have chosen three charities to support during their Mayoral year: East Lancashire Hospice, Nightsafe and East Lancashire Hospital charity ELHT&Me.
Councillor Brian Taylor
"In my Mayoral year, I look forward to promoting Blackburn and Darwen and supporting the young people in the borough.
"We are looking forward to visiting the many schools in the borough."
Councillor Brian Taylor
Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, 2024 - 2025
Councillor Brian Taylor has been a Labour Councillor representing, first Sunnyhurst Ward, and then, after boundary changes, Darwen West since 2010. He was made the borough’s first citizen at the annual
Mayor Making ceremony in Blackburn Town Hall on Thursday 16th of May 2024.
Mayor Making ceremony in Blackburn Town Hall on Thursday 16th of May 2024.
Cllr. Taylor was born in Darwen in 1949 and has lived in Darwen ever since. He was a former pupil of Spring Bank school, leaving in 1964. Cllr. Taylor then spent 33 years in the wallcoverings industry, mostly at Paragon Wallcoverings and Crown Wallcoverings, before ending his career in employment at TV Licensing at the age of 72.
Over the last 14 years as a Ward Councillor, he has served as Assistant Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, and Chair of The Place Scrutiny Committee.
Cllr. Taylor will be supported in his Mayoral role by his three daughters as joint Mayoresses Nicola, Emma and Louise.
Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, 2025 - 2026
The new Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen is Councillor Jacqueline Slater, who represents the Blackburn South and Lower Darwen ward.Councillor Slater was officially made Mayor at the annual ceremony in Blackburn Town Hall on Thursday, 15 May 2025.
She will be supported in her civic role by the new Mayoress, Lillian Salton.
Councillor Jacqueline Slater, Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, commented:
"In my Mayoral year, I look forward to promoting Blackburn and Darwen and supporting the young people in the borough.
My Mayoress and I are excited to meet as many people in the borough as possible and to support our chosen charities: ELHT & Me, Alzheimer’s UK, and the Darwen Rotary Club."
The Mayor added,"We are looking forward to visiting the many schools in the borough."
Also, at [the] Annual Council meeting, Councillor Mahfooz Hussain was appointed Deputy Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen for 2025/26.
The new Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen [were] joined by dignitaries from across the area [on] Sunday, 18 May, known as Civic Sunday, for a service of dedication at Blackburn Cathedral and a parade through Blackburn Town Centre.
About Councillor Jacqueline Slater
Councillor Jacqueline Slater was born in Leeds and moved to Blackburn at the age of 5 when her father became area manager for Dewhurst Butchers. She later relocated to Darwen at the age of 26 when her husband, Fred Slater, was promoted to a position at the headquarters of the Electricity Board in Manchester. Councillor Fred Slater had served as Deputy Mayor before he passed away suddenly in 2006.
She has been a Conservative councillor for 21 years, initially representing the Old Fernhurst ward and now representing Blackburn South and Lower Darwen.
Over the past 21 years as a ward councillor, she has served on the Planning Committee as both Chair and Vice-Chair, acted as the Opposition Spokesperson on Adult Services, and chaired the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee.
Councillor Slater will be supported in her Mayoral role by Lillian Salton, who will serve as Mayoress.
Together, the Mayor and Mayoress have chosen three charities that are particularly meaningful to them: East Lancashire Hospitals Trust (ELHT & Me), Alzheimer’s UK, and Darwen Rotary Club.
From the Shuttle, Thursday 15 May 2025
Published September 2025.