A first-of-its-kind Community Charter on Data and AI has been developed by members of the public from across the Liverpool City Region.
Formed through a Residents’ Assembly of 59 people and backed by Mayor Steve Rotheram’s “AI for Good” initiative, the charter outlines 11 guiding principles for how public data should be used and shared responsibly.
The Assembly was set up by the LCR Civic Data Cooperative (CDC), a project funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and hosted by the Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL) at the University of Liverpool.
The charter aims to improve services such as healthcare by enabling better data sharing between organisations. It also supports the development of AI tools for public benefit, from tracking disease outbreaks to planning transport and tackling misinformation on social media.
It was launched alongside a banner inspired by the Assembly at an event at the University’s Victoria Gallery & Museum on Thursday 3 July 2025.
“I also hope that it has a beneficial impact in the region. The assembly showed me that the people who are delivering this project really care about what the residents think and feel, and so hopefully it can be incorporated in a way that aligns with the set of principles that were established to improve local services, without losing elements of human touch totally.”
Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Innovation Cllr Liam Robinson said: “I am grateful to the time and effort that residents put into the development of this Community Charter for Data and AI.
“The Charter sets out for us how we need to work with data and AI and provides a strong basis to build from. We have already begun to use this as part of our work on data and AI as we implement the Mayor’s commitment to AI for good.”
The 11-point Charter will help organisations such as the NHS, CHIL and the LCRCA’s Office for Public Service Innovation tailor their data and projects to public expectations.
These three organisations have already agreed to sign the charter, committing to use it in the approval and set-up of large-scale data and AI projects.
