91Èȱ¬

A woman tasked with leading the mayoral race equality taskforce in Liverpool says "change has got to happen".

Tracey Gore has been seconded to the position of chair for six months by Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson.

The taskforce will focus on reducing race inequality in the city.

"It's a tough challenge but the work needs to be done," said Ms Gore, who was appointed as Riverside Housing Association's first black housing manager at the age of 27.

Ms Gore has worked in the city's social housing sector since 1978, and is the director of the city's Steve Biko Housing Association.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: "I know this will be challenging, but we must have these honest conversations with ourselves about how we can become a city that is able to support everyone who lives here to their fullest potential."

He added that he was pleased Ms Gore was willing to lead the taskforce to "identify the positive actions we must follow to ensure our city can celebrate and honour our diversity".

Ms Gore said she recognised "there needs to be change" and that "there are hard truths to be faced".

"There's no need to state the case for this work. It's now a matter of gathering what the barriers are and working out how institutions will bring those barriers down," she said.

"I have got a lot of confidence that in the great city of Liverpool we can effect this change and embrace it."

The new taskforce will meet about every six weeks until May 2021.

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