The Fair Necessities: Why We Need a Fairer Britain and How to Make It Happen

The event will start with a 20 minute opening session during which a panel of leading experts on fairness and inequality will set out three key questions for discussion. This will then be followed by a 45 minute session during which participants will discuss the three key issues in small groups with other participants around a table, and then feedback key points to the panel. The final part of the session will involve gathering key views from the table discussions and having a final round of reflection on these points by the panel. Following the formal part of the event, there will also be time at the end for further informal networking.

In collaboration with the Fairness Foundation and the Campaign for Social Science, this event will draw on the issues discussed in Will Snell’s recently published book, “The Fair Necessities: Why We Need a Fairer Britain and How to Make It Happen”. Key questions that will be discussed by a panel of experts as well as by audience participants in small groups include:

• How can we define and measure fairness?
• Why does fairness matter and how much do people care?
• What can we do to make Britain fairer?

This event will be a chance to hear from academic experts but also share your thoughts with them and other participants.

The event will be chaired by Karen Rowlingson, Professor of Social Policy at the University of York. The panel will comprise: Will Snell (Chief Executive of the Fairness Foundation), Kit Colliver (Research Associate at the University of York’s School for Business and Society) and Jed Meers (Senior Lecturer at the University of York’s Law School).

This event is open to all. 

This event will be of interest to a general public audience. 

7pm on 02/11/26