Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has launched a new Anti‑Racism Strategy, outlining a clear and long‑term commitment to dismantling systemic racism, strengthening trust in local institutions, and celebrating the contributions of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
The strategy - co‑created with more than 200 organisations and over 500 individuals from across all six boroughs – marks one of the region’s most collaborative efforts to date to build a fairer, more inclusive, and equitable city region.
Participants included community groups, educators, activists, businesses, public‑sector partners, and local residents, ensuring the strategy reflects lived experience and community priorities.
The Anti‑Racism Strategy sets out five core ambitions:
- Dismantle systemic racism across public services, education, employment, and community life
- Strengthen trust and transparency between institutions and the communities they serve
- Amplify the voices of people with lived experience, ensuring they remain central to decision‑making
- Support organisations to take practical, measurable steps toward inclusion
- Celebrate the cultural, social, and economic contributions of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities
The strategy aims to support long‑term cultural change, address inequalities, and ensure that anti‑racism principles are embedded across local leadership and public services. A key feature of the strategy is its robust governance model, designed to ensure sustained progress, transparency, and meaningful accountability.
The Liverpool City Region Leadership Forum, made up of over 50 leaders from public, private, voluntary, community and faith sectors, will act as the custodian of the strategy. Its responsibilities include:
- Overseeing delivery and ensuring alignment with the strategy’s long‑term goals
- Championing anti‑racism across the region’s institutions
- Monitoring progress through transparent reporting and evidence‑based review
- Ensuring communities remain central through ongoing engagement
A dedicated Reference Group, made up of individuals and organisations who helped shape the strategy, will advise the Forum. Its role includes:
- Providing lived‑experience insight
- Highlighting gaps where more action is needed
- Helping define future priorities as new issues emerge
Together, the Leadership Forum and Reference Group create a governance structure that balances leadership with community accountability.
Alison Navarro, Equality Hub Programme Director at Liverpool City Region, said:
“I am hugely grateful to the individuals and organisations who have taken the time to create this Strategy with us, particularly the group of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community members who shared their lived and professional expertise. Previous attempts to tackle racial inequality have failed to bring about real change. Accountability and momentum, building on the skills, knowledge, and experience of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities will be key to the success of this strategy.
“We have collectively produced a framework outlining what is required to tackle racism and we now need leaders from across our Region to create their own approaches that introduce proactive anti-racist action within their own organisations.”
The Combined Authority will consider the Anti‑Racism Strategy for approval at its meeting on Friday 6 March 2026.
If approved, the strategy will be formally launched at an event in early summer, which will also celebrate the work of the Race Equality Hub, a key regional initiative supporting anti‑racism, leadership development, and economic empowerment.
Image credit: iStock
