BRIG Mandate

As Birmingham approaches the May local elections, BRIG is once again asking an essential question:
what do our communities want to see in BRIG’s Mandate for the local elections?

As in previous election cycles, this Mandate will be formally sent to the leaders of every political party contesting the elections, ensuring that commitments on race equality and anti-racism are explicit, public and accountable.

Learning from 2022: from Manifesto to Mandate

For the May 2022 local elections, BRIG launched the Birmingham Race Equality Manifesto during Race Equality Week
👉 Race Equality Week
👉 Birmingham Race Equality Manifesto

The manifesto set out a shared ambition to make Birmingham an anti-racist city. Importantly, it achieved some significant outcomes. Most notably, the core task of creating an anti-racist city through sustained, honest conversations about race was formally embedded within Birmingham’s City Vision for 2035. Since then, BRIG has continued to work actively with communities, public agencies and partners to support this commitment.

However, agreement alone has not delivered the scale of change that communities were promised.

One year on: commitments without systems

In 2023, BRIG monitored progress against the manifesto commitments at the one-year mark and published our findings here.

Despite all parties contesting the 2022 elections agreeing to the manifesto, the systems required to deliver meaningful, sustained change had not emerged. Progress was inconsistent, accountability was weak, and too often anti-racism activity remained fragmented or symbolic.

This experience made one thing clear: asks are not enough.

That is why, for the 2026 Birmingham local elections, BRIG is moving from a manifesto to a mandate — from seeking agreement to demanding action.

A mandate that is structured around what must happen, by who, and by when, if racism is to be tackled seriously and sustainably. It is about urgent, practical action that makes a real difference to people’s lives — and moves decisively beyond gesture politics and performative commitments.

Why this moment matters

In October 2024, BRIG reflected on how the wider context had shifted — and not for the better.

Progress made in the period following the racist murder of George Floyd has dramatically slowed. The political climate, fuelled by the rise of far-right narratives and unrest over the summer, has pushed public debate backwards — to the dark days of blaming migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and racialised communities, including families settled here for generations, for the country’s challenges.

At the same time:

• gains made post-George Floyd have been steadily eroded

• equality, diversity and inclusion work has been threatened or rolled back

• racism in all its forms has been on the rise, locally and nationally

This context makes clear why stronger, clearer and more accountable political leadership on anti-racism is urgently needed.

Listening first: the BRIG Summit

At our 2024 Summit, we asked a direct question:
What would you put in a Birmingham Anti-Racist Mandate?

The responses — grounded in lived experience and collective wisdom — now form the backbone of this work.

We are now asking you to take some time to consider what you want BRIG to include in the 2026 Birmingham Local Elections: Beyond Racism Mandate. This feedback will shape our Mandate for the 2026 local elections.

📌 Please send us your responses by Friday 13 March.

We will:

• publish the Mandate in April

• feature it in our April newsletter

• share party leaders’ responses in our May newsletter, ahead of the local elections on 7 May

• and host a special hustings with party leaders, as we did in 2022 (details to follow)

This Mandate will be shaped by what you tell us — and it will be used to hold those seeking power to account.

What you told us and why it matters now

At the BRIG 2024 Summit, we asked a simple question:

What should go into a Birmingham and regional Anti-Racist Mandate?

The response was clear.

People are not asking for more strategies, statements or good intentions. They are asking for change they can see, feel and hold institutions to account for.

One message came through louder than any other:
Enough talk — where is the accountability?

Again and again, people called for anti-racism commitments to come with:

• clear actions and named responsibility

• published targets and timelines

• regular public reporting on progress

• real scrutiny of councils, schools, the NHS, police and other public bodies

Without this, many felt anti-racism risks becoming performative rather than transformative.

The other key messages that featured strongly in the feedback include:

Education that tackles racism early and consistently

Education came through strongly, particularly in schools. People called for:

• anti-racism and inclusion policies in all schools

• decolonised curricula and stronger Black history education

• mandatory anti-racism training for teachers and education leaders

• better support for parents and carers dealing with racism in schools

Education was seen as being about prevention, protection and possibility, especially for young people.

Data and evidence used to drive change

Many were clear: the evidence of racial inequality already exists. What’s missing is action.

People want:

• Racial inequality data and ethnicity pay gaps published

• equality impact assessments made public

• a clear, rigorous and scrutinised “explain or reform” approach wherever inequalities persist, including in housing, health, school exclusions and criminal justice

Leadership that reflects Birmingham

There was a strong call for leadership that actually looks like the city, including:

• decision-makers who reflect Birmingham’s diversity

• mandatory anti-racism training for elected members and senior leaders

• visible, courageous leadership, not safe or symbolic gestures

Communities with power, not just a voice

People want communities to be resourced and trusted, with:

• investment in grassroots and Black-led organisations

• community-led solutions, grounded in lived experience

• collaboration rather than competition for limited resources

Racism named honestly

Finally, people were clear that racism must be named and challenged directly, including Islamophobia, anti-immigration rhetoric, anti-Black racism and other harmful narratives, and that anti-racism must be clearly defined in practice, not left vague.

Taken together, the message from those who attended the summit is unmistakable:

People want an Anti-Racist Mandate that is practical, measurable and rooted in lived experience, one that shifts power, changes systems and improves lives.

This feedback will shape our Mandate for the 2026 local elections.

Now, we want to hear from you. Click here to send your responses.