Sheffield City Council has vowed to be a visibly anti-racist organisation.

The Councils Leader Bob Johnson and Chief Executive Kate Josephs are calling on Sheffield’s businesses and institutions to get involved in a letter to Sheffield’s Race Equality Commission.

The REC is a commission set up to conduct short enquiries for a year into racism and prejudice within Sheffield and its institutions, with the aim of making Sheffield a more equal community.

The letter says: “Sheffield has many great strengths, but we also know that not all of our citizens benefit from the same opportunities and life chances. It is very well documented how COVID 19 has illustrated how racial disparities and racism adversely impact Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, but we also know that such issues extend into other areas such as education, health, employment, crime and justice.”

It goes on to explain that their aim is too be an inclusive and visibly anti-racist organisation that tackles all forms of prejudice and discrimination Sheffield “wherever it is found.”

They then ask partners of the REC and the people of Sheffield to support them by submitting evidence of any racial inequality in Sheffield’s businesses and institutions on the Race Equality Commission website.

This evidence will be used in a series of public hearings from May-June this summer.