A Win for Everton!
Improving Local Neighbourhood Safety in Everton
Our neighbourhood campaign in Everton began with a listening campaign by our member institution Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus that involved students, local staff and local community organisations. Out of this listening, multiple issues came up including safety and facilities for young people in the area. At the Founding Assembly of Liverpool Citizens in November 2025, Amy, a Citizens leader from Hope University, alongside local teenager Joe, stood in front of the leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, and 600 people and asked him to come on a neighbourhood walk to see some of these issues for himself and come up with an action plan.
Our neighbourhood walk took place on Valentines Day 2025 and was a day of giving love back to the area. A group of over 30 people set off walking around the neighbourhood. Everton has a great history and heritage and city leaders heard about this first hand through those living in the area. Young women and teenage girls talked about how nervous they felt having to walk home in the dark, youth and adults pointed out areas with poor environmental sanitation due to fly tipping, and many spoke about the desire to enjoy having a local park that was well maintained and felt safe. Everyone got the chance to speak and to listen. The real beauty of the afternoon was in the conversations that people had and the relationships that were built between people who don’t normally come together in daily life. Stereotypes and assumptions were also broken down. Since the walk, relationships have improved between the youth and police, they have even held a collaborative football tournament.
I have never had a conversation with the youth like this before, they were full of great ideas
Local police officer participating in the walk
These wins were celebrated at our Accountability Assembly in November 2026, one year on from us putting the ask to Liverpool City Council. At the Assembly, Councillor Robinson declared “It was a great walk and great to meet with all the community”. He shared an extensive update on all the work that the Council has carried out since the walk. This included installing street lighting, clearing fly tipping sites, cutting back all the overgrowth in the local park, making plans for a nature garden, improving park lighting and lighting in the MUGA (multi use game area), as well as holding a number of action days on safety with the local police. Children and young people have also been involved in consultation about new play equipment for the local park.
These changes have had a real impact for people in the area. Young people can now leave the youth club in the dark evenings feeling safe, students and local people can cycle across the park along a cycle path that now has glow in the dark lights, something that has made a big difference for those having to cross the park in the dark after work. This was a great start for Liverpool Citizens, showing that by coming together and building relationships, positive change can be made for the good of all in our communities!
Liverpool Citizens was founded in November 2024. Our current alliance of 19 organisations represents over 135,000 people from schools, universities, health sector, faith groups, charities and housing associations. Together, we organise and campaign on issues affecting our local communities.