Earlier this month, we held the first gathering of the Liverpool City Region data community of practice at the Civic Health Innovation Labs. The event brought together data practitioners from across public sector organisations, VCSE groups, and other data professionals to help design a community that can address shared challenges and create opportunities for collaboration.
In our previous blog post, we shared early research insights from our conversations with organisations throughout the Liverpool City Region. The launch event allowed us to validate those findings while adding new dimensions through collaborative discussions and workshop activities.
What we learned
The discussions that took place validated many of our previous research findings, while providing some valuable new insights:
Small teams with big aspirations
Our previous conversations had identified how small most data teams are across different sectors. The launch event confirmed this, with many participants highlighting how budget constraints and limited capacity affect their ability to innovate and improve data practices. As one participant noted during a breakout discussion:
“Budget cuts have reduced capacities so much – we’re focused only on the day job.”
This shows the importance of the community needing to focus on practical knowledge sharing and solutions.
Common challenges, shared solutions
Participants also validated the core challenges we’d previously identified:
- Data quality and standardisation issues that require ongoing attention, with interest in developing a “Liverpool way” for common standards
- Information governance barriers that slow down data sharing, with suggestions for case studies that could “break the mould” on restrictive practices
- Systems that don’t talk to each other creating inefficiencies, with one council representative noting they work with “about 30 systems that aren’t well connected“
- Resource constraints limiting capacity for exploration and innovation
The workshop revealed strong interest in practical knowledge exchange through “show and tell” formats where organisations could learn from successful implementations within the region.
Leadership engagement is critical
One theme that emerged at the event was the importance of leadership engagement and understanding. Participants highlighted how leadership not valuing data work means it isn’t prioritised, with specific calls for more education about what is needed to support effective data practice.
Senior leadership was notably absent from the event. While this community is created by and for data practitioners, participants suggested that occasional leadership involvement – such as presenting at showcase sessions or attending specific events – could help champion data practice within organisations.
Community preferences
Clear preferences emerged for how this community should operate:
- A mix of regular online sessions with quarterly or bi-annual in-person gatherings
- Rotating venues across the region to improve accessibility
- Practical, applicable content rather than theoretical discussions
- Provision of food and refreshments to support valuable networking
As our research had suggested, timing preferences varied, with professional practitioners preferring daytime events while community groups and grassroots initiatives are more available evenings and weekends. Importantly, some participants suggested embracing this by offering sessions at different times, recognising that while this would naturally attract different audiences, it could make the community more accessible to a wider range of people.
Missing voices
While our previous research engaged many different stakeholders, not all could attend the launch event. Those who were able to attend told us that future sessions would benefit from this broader participation, including representatives from various sectors and senior leaders who can support data practice within organisations.
We’ll continue working to broaden involvement as the community develops
Next steps
Based on the launch event feedback, we’re planning several next steps:
- Our next gathering will take place online on 12 June at 1:00pm – save the date, with further details to be announced soon
- A September in-person session is being planned to provide face-to-face networking opportunities
- Communication channels will be established based on participant preferences
- A programme of events will be sketched out shortly for the remainder of 2025
Join the community
If you work with data in the Liverpool City Region and would like to be part of this emerging community of practice, please get in touch.
This work is being conducted by Open Data Manchester for the Civic Data Cooperative at the University of Liverpool.