Waltham Forest is one of 20 areas across the UK where measures will be taken to tackle racial inequalities under new government plans.

Mentoring schemes and traineeships for people from ethnic minority backgrounds aged 16 to 24 could be introduced in the borough under measures announced by Prime Minister Theresa May today (Tuesday, October 10).

The scheme, carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will also be launched in 19 other “hotspots” around the country, including Newham, Hackney, Kirkless, Luton and Oldham.

The move comes as the government publishes findings of a new report into disparities in how people from different backgrounds are treated in the UK.

Findings include employment rates are higher across the country for white people than ethnic minorities and that ethnic minorities are also under represented in senior roles across the public sector.

The government also launched its new Ethnicity Facts and Figures website today, containing thousands of statistics based on areas such as health, education, employment and criminal justice.

The website will be a permanent resource, with new data on studies into racial disparities being added over time.

Mrs May hosted a roundtable discussion in the Downing Street Cabinet Room this morning, involving key stakeholders in the project.

She told those present: "People who have lived with discrimination don’t need a government audit to make them aware of the scale of the challenge.

“But this audit means that for society as a whole– for government, for our public services – there is nowhere to hide.

“These issues are now out in the open. And the message is very simple: if these disparities cannot be explained then they must be changed.”