Poverty & Social Justice: A Public Discussion
SPA Annual Conference 2026, Liverpool
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.
Set within this year’s conference theme, Hope in Dark Times: Resistance and Radical Change, the event will bring together scholars, practitioners, and activists to explore how hope, resistance, and radical transformation can help reimagine a more equitable future.
The discussion will feature talks and a panel discussion with Professor Ruth Patrick(University of Glasgow) and Changing Realities, Joanna Mack (The Open University), Dr Lee Gregory (University of Nottingham and ASAP UK), Sir Geoff Mulgan CBE (UCL), and Baroness Ruth Lister (Member of the House of Lords), chaired by Dr Natalija Atas (Liverpool Hope University, PRAN and SPA Poverty Policy Group).
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.
Join us for an engaging and timely conversation on poverty, inequality, and pathways towards meaningful systemic change.
The event is free to attend; advance registration is required.
To register for the event click here: Poverty & Social Justice: A Public DiscussionTickets, Friday 3rd of July 2026 at 14:30 | Eventbrite
