PRAN NEWSLETTER ISSUE 28: June 2026
Dear PRAN MEMBERS
Welcome to the June edition of the PRAN newsletter. This month we highlight a thought-provoking new piece by Joanna Mack exploring the need to rebuild Britain's social contract to tackle poverty, remind members about our upcoming public discussion on Poverty and Social Justice at the SPA Annual Conference in Liverpool, and share opportunities to contribute to new research on disability, rest and free time. We also spotlight a new welfare report examining the future of the UK's social security system. We hope you find something of interest in this month's edition.
Event Reminder
Poverty & Social Justice – A Public Discussion
As part of the 2026 Social Policy Association (SPA) Annual Conference in Liverpool, we warmly invite you to a landmark public session on Poverty & Social Justice - the first ever SPA conference session to be opened to members of the public.
What to expect
The session opens with Pieces of Hope - a presentation from Changing Realities, a collaboration between over 200 parents and carers from across the UK and researchers from the University of Glasgow, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Child Poverty Action Group. Through collage, poetry, and audio storytelling, participants and researchers will share what life on a low income really looks and feels like - and what meaningful change could mean for the people living it.
The second part of the session features Joanna Mack, author of the new book Impoverished: How to Fix Britain's Poverty Problem (Policy Press, 2026) and one of the UK's most respected poverty researchers, with over forty years of experience. She will set out the roots of Britain's poverty crisis - from soaring housing costs and stagnating wages to the underfunding of public services and the privatisation of basic utilities -and argue that only fundamental reform of Britain's economic and social contract can deliver lasting change.
The event concludes with a panel discussion featuring some of the UK's most prominent voices on poverty and inequality, including Professor Ruth Patrick (University of Glasgow), Dr Lee Gregory (University of Nottingham and ASAP UK), Sir Geoff Mulgan CBE (UCL), and Baroness Ruth Lister (Member of the House of Lords). The panel will be chaired by Dr Natalija Atas (Liverpool Hope University). A panellist will open the discussion, reflecting on the themes of resistance, radical change, and hope.
The event is free to attend, but advance registration is required: Poverty & Social Justice: A Public DiscussionTickets
Featured Blog
Tackling Poverty Requires a Wide-Ranging Rebuilding of Britain's Social Contract
Joanna Mack
The author of Impoverished – How to Fix Britain's Poverty Problem
In our latest featured blog, Joanna Mack argues that tackling poverty requires a much broader approach than simply increasing household incomes. Drawing on themes from her new book Impoverished – How to Fix Britain's Poverty Problem, Joanna challenges conventional understandings of poverty and instead focuses on material deprivation - the goods, services and opportunities people need to live with dignity.
The article explores why addressing poverty means tackling the rising cost of essentials, expanding access to universal public services, and creating a more inclusive system of income security. It offers an ambitious vision for rebuilding Britain's social contract and rethinking how poverty policy is developed.
Read the full blog here.
Research: Call for Participants
Research
Researcher Ioana Cerasella Chis (University of Glasgow) is inviting responses to a new UK-wide questionnaire exploring the relationship between disability, rest and free time.
The project, Bread and Roses: Rest, Free Time and Disability (in, against, and beyond disabling capitalism), seeks to understand how disabled, chronically ill, Deaf, neurodivergent and learning disabled people experience rest and leisure, the barriers they face, and what social changes are needed to make meaningful rest accessible to everyone.
Findings will contribute to a wider research programme, including the development of a Manifesto for rest and free time.
The questionnaire is open until the end of November 2026, and responses can be submitted online, via this Questionnaire link, or alternatively Downloadable Word Document version of the questionnaire (if you choose this way of submitting the form, please send it to ioana.chis@glasgow.ac.uk)
New Report: Renewing a Welfare State Adrift
Care Full has published a new paper, Renewing a Welfare State Adrift, exploring how the UK's social security system could evolve into a welfare state rooted in care and universality. The paper argues that transformative change, alongside practical reforms to the current system, is needed to build a welfare state that better supports people's wellbeing.
The full report is available to read here.
We hope you've enjoyed this month's newsletter. As always, we welcome your ideas, news and contributions. If you have research, events or opportunities that you would like us to share with the PRAN network, we'd love to hear from you.
In solidarity
PRAN Team
