By Jess McQuail, Director, Just Fair
Fifteen years ago, Just Fair was born in the shadow of austerity. The global financial crash had triggered a wave of austerity, and communities across the UK were beginning to feel its sting. There were ruthless cuts to vital services, rising inequality, and a growing sense that fairness and hope were being eroded.
Our founders came together around a simple but radical idea: that fairness and justice are a matter of rights, not charity. That everyone in the UK should enjoy their economic, social and cultural rights – to housing, health, food, education, work and social security. That these are not luxuries to be earned, but obligations governments must uphold.
Fifteen years on, promoting these ideas is more urgent than ever.
Across the country, too many people are still struggling to afford basic necessities. Families are trapped in temporary accommodation. Disabled people are facing impossible choices between survival and stability. The wait to see a doctor is threatening lives. And the same austerity-driven logic that inspired our founding still shapes too many decisions today.
Yet there has been progress.
Over the past decade and a half, campaigners, communities, and advocates have refused to accept injustice as inevitable. Together, we’ve shown that rights can be powerful tools for positive social change, whether it’s challenging unfair policies, pushing for accountability, or affirming that everyone deserves dignity and security.
As Just Fair turns 15, we are both proud and restless – proud of how far the movement for rights has come, and restless because we know there is still so much to do.
That’s why our new strategy looks forward with renewed energy and clarity. We want to build a UK where everyone enjoys their economic, social and cultural rights – a fairer, more equal and just society for all.
In the years ahead, we’ll focus on strengthening the movement for rights, shaping a shared vision of a fairer, more equal and just UK, and making those rights real in law and in people’s daily lives.
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Background image by Alejandro Ortiz
