Ordinary people, extraordinary power – Liverpool Citizens Accountability Assembly

Posted on: 8 January 2026 by Belinda Tyrrell in Blog

Heseltine Institute Research Associate, Belinda Tyrrell reflects on the recent Liverpool Citizens Accountability Assembly and the power of ordinary people's stories and actions to create change.

Almost a year after its founding assembly, the Heseltine Institute joined around three hundred representatives from other Liverpool Citizens member institutions, including community organisations, housing associations, the NHS, schools, universities, charities and faith groups at the chapter’s inaugural Accountability Assembly.

The evening had two clear purposes: to look back on the past year, and to ask key decision-makers – from Liverpool City Council, the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, Arriva and Merseytravel—to report on the commitments they had made around free school meals, the real living wage and public transport. It was also an opportunity to raise community priorities again, including temporary accommodation, access to NHS dentistry and public transport.

From the outset, the atmosphere in the room felt welcoming and focused. The evening opened with a performance from the Asylum Link Choir, whose song Building Bridges set an appropriate tone. It was a reminder that community organising is rooted in people coming together across differences, connecting everyday experience with those in positions of responsibility.

The assembly felt noticeably different from more formal civic meetings. Alongside the roll call of organisations present, there were performances and personal reflections that created a sense of shared purpose. The room did not feel as though it was waiting to be addressed; it felt ready to take part.

Stories that changed the conversation

For me, the most powerful moments came from the personal stories shared by people from across the city. These were straightforward, honest accounts of lived experience, shared directly with those able to make decisions.

One young boy spoke about his family’s experience of living in temporary accommodation. He began by describing what home should feel like—familiar, safe and stable—before explaining that his family had moved five times in eight months. He talked about returning from school only to pack up again, trying to study for his GCSEs while sharing a room, and travelling long distances to remain at the same school. He also spoke about his younger sister’s distress at losing her favourite toys during one of the moves. He ended simply: “No one should live not knowing where they will be living tomorrow.”

Later, a nurse from the Walton Centre shared the story of a patient who lost access to NHS dentistry when his practice went private. Unable to afford treatment, the patient went without regular check-ups. An untreated infection eventually led to hospitalisation and long-term health complications.

The impact of these stories came from their clarity and honesty. They did not rely on persuasion or performance. They reminded everyone in the room that policies and systems are experienced in very real ways. Data is important, but stories show what decisions mean in practice—and why accountability matters.

Asking for change, together

The assembly was not a protest, and it was not an exercise in passive listening. It was carefully prepared collective action. The questions asked of decision-makers had been shaped through months of listening, conversation, research and training. They were specific, grounded and focused on achievable commitments.

When leaders were invited onto the stage, they were responding directly to the people affected by their decisions. That shift in dynamic was striking. Accountability felt less procedural and more relational—about staying connected to the realities of everyday life.

One of the clearest lessons of the evening was that accountability, when done well, is not about blame. It is about care:

• care for communities, by ensuring concerns are heard and followed through
• care for leaders, by keeping decisions anchored in lived experience
• and care for democracy, which depends on people taking an active role.

By the end of the night, Liverpool Citizens had secured renewed commitments from the invited decision-makers. Over the coming year, work will continue, with each organisation returning to report publicly on progress.

Finally, the evening reminded me that when citizens work across differences toward common goals, we are powerful. So, it felt fitting that a local school closed the assembly with a performance of “I’ve got the power in me, you’ve got the power in you, we have the power. “And on this night, it did not feel like a song lyric, it felt true and gave hope as to how we might be able to achieve a just, equitable and resilient society.