Race Equity Framework
Greater Manchester Race Equity Framework
The Greater Manchester Independent Inequalities Commission 2021 identified structural racism as a top priority for any serious agenda to tackle inequality. “2020 was a wake-up call. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fractures running across our society and the Black Lives Matter movement forced us to acknowledge and confront the intractable realities of structural racism”.
Research published in 2022 by the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) (University of Manchester), supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, set out in stark terms the failure to address racial inequalities effectively, with gaps in outcomes experienced throughout the life course from early years through to older age, across education, employment, health and wellbeing, and criminal justice.
Race Equality Evidence Base
Greater Manchester Strategy: Ethnicity Evidence Baseline, GMCA Research Team (Docx. 26KB)
Reports by Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) and GMCA Research Team provide a comprehensive understanding of the current issues facing racially minoritised communities in Greater Manchester. The GMCA report uses the Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS) as its framework – assessing each of the indicators it contains to identify which can be disaggregated by ethnicity. It aims to draw out the key issues for racially minoritised communities across Greater Manchester. The Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) at University of Manchester highlights the broader issues relevant to race equality across the themes of education, employment, health and criminal justice.
Five key themes have emerged from the research and stakeholder engagement.
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Clear and effective leadership in race equality, reflected both politically and at senior levels in organisations. This should be informed by
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Accountability to the communities served based on engagement with the diverse people of Greater Manchester around service improvements. This should be supported by
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Commitment and resources from public, private and voluntary services to achieve meaningful improvements in outcomes and experiences of racialised minorities. This should deliver
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Transparent, agreed, and recognised performance measures that deliver fairer outcomes for racialised minorities, and utilising lived experiences of racism and racial inequalities to make more informed decisions to address structural, institutional and interpersonal manifestations. This should be enabled by
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Removal of employment barriers to recruiting fairly from local communities and ensuring workplace environments are supportive and provide similar opportunities for job satisfaction, development and progression.
In October 2023, GMCA leaders agreed the new Race Equity Framework. (View the full report (PDF, 426KB)). In addition each Greater Manchester Local Authority, as well as GMCA and Transport for Greater Manchester, have appointed a designated political and senior lead officer, responsible for driving forward the ambitions and delivery of the framework within their organisations, and collectively across Greater Manchester.