Greater Manchester is home to a vibrant and diverse population. Yet, for many Black and Asian communities, long-standing inequalities continue to limit access to opportunity and fair treatment. Whether in employment, education, housing, health, or interactions with the police, structural barriers and institutional bias persist but they can be dismantled.
With targeted, co-produced action and community-led accountability, we can shift the dial towards equity and inclusion.
This blog explores how we can meaningfully support Black and Asian communities in Greater Manchester across five key areas: Work, Education, Housing, Health, and Policing.
1. Access to Work: Representation, Recruitment and Retention
- Local employers must adopt anti-racist recruitment strategies, such as name-blind shortlisting, inclusive job adverts, diverse interview panels, and mandatory bias training.
- Workplace mentoring, sponsorship, and apprenticeships tailored to Black and Asian young people can bridge the opportunity gap.
- Targeted investment in Black and Asian-led businesses and social enterprises can drive economic empowerment from within the community.
- GMCA and local councils should publish disaggregated ethnicity pay gap data and take action to close these gaps.
2. Education: Equity in Access, Curriculum and Support
- Schools must be held accountable for ethnic disparities in exclusions and actively dismantle the ‘school-to-prison’ pipeline.
- Culturally relevant curriculum reform should include British colonial history, migration, and contributions of Black and Asian communities.
- Universities and colleges need targeted scholarships, mentoring, and outreach for underrepresented groups in Greater Manchester.
- Schools must actively engage parents and carers, especially those whose first language isn’t English, to support advocacy for their children.
3. Housing: Safe, Secure and Suitable Homes for All
- Social housing providers must audit their policies to ensure they are free from racial bias and responsive to diverse community needs.
- Community-led housing schemes, including co-ops and culturally competent housing services, should be supported and expanded.
- Discrimination in the private rental sector must be addressed through enforcement and landlord education.
- Black and Asian tenants must be meaningfully involved in shaping local and regional housing strategies.
4. Health: Culturally Competent and Accessible Services
- Fund and integrate community health outreach led by trusted local voices into NHS services.
- Embed anti-racist training and accountability at all levels of healthcare provision.
- Use disaggregated data to highlight access and outcome disparities, and publish clear action plans to address them.
- Invest in culturally competent, trauma-informed mental health services specifically for Black and Asian communities.
5. Policing and Justice: From Over-Surveillance to Accountability
- Greater Manchester Police must engage in partnership with communities rather than policing through fear or force.
- An independent community-led accountability mechanism is needed to investigate misconduct and rebuild trust.
- Schools and youth services must be equipped to support young people with alternatives to criminalisation.
- Racism and abuse of power in policing must carry real consequences — not just token training.
Conclusion: From Listening to Action
- Change is possible but only if we shift from listening to meaningful action. That means resourcing grassroots organisations, building cross-sector partnerships, embedding anti-racism into policy, and ensuring that Black and Asian voices are leading, not sidelined.
- Greater Manchester can be a beacon of inclusive growth but only if equity is hardwired into how we work, learn, live and are policed. Anything less reinforces the status quo.
Call to Action
- Are you a local employer, policymaker or service provider? Start with data, listen to your communities, and be bold in changing how you work.
- Are you part of a community group or activist network? Connect with others, share good practice, and hold systems to account.
- Are you passionate about social justice? Speak up, show up, and support those pushing for change.
- Together, let’s make Greater Manchester a place where every Black and Asian resident can thrive not just survive.