The Archbishop of York’s Annual Institute for Social Justice Lecture

‘The Task Before Us’

In this lecture, Paul Kissack will offer some thoughts on the work ahead for those pursuing social justice in Britain today. He will reflect on the many calls over recent years for a new social settlement – or ‘new Beveridge’ – similar to the shaping of the post-war welfare state. In doing so he will take inspiration from Archbishop of York, William Temple’s, 1942 work, ‘Christianity and Social Order’, drawing on some of Temple’s principles for social justice and their relevance today.

Paul Kissack is the Group Chief Executive of Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT).

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is a national social change organisation, based in York, seeking to solve UK poverty.

Before joining Joseph Rowntree, Paul spent over 20 years as a civil servant in Whitehall, including Director General roles in the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). He has also held senior roles in HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, and a local authority. He recently served as Deputy Chief Executive at the Ministry for Children in New Zealand. He has worked throughout his career on economic and social policy issues and public service reform.

The Institute for Social Justice was launched in 2020 to underpin York St John University’s mission to ‘stand up for social justice.’ It does so through developing collaborative research and practice that seeks to address some of the inequalities and injustices facing society today.

In 2021 the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, became patron of the Institute for Social Justice. This patronage recognises our shared values and objectives as we work together to combat inequalities. As part of his patronage the Archbishop hosts an annual lecture which engages with some of the critical issues for advancing social justice.

Drinks Reception

All guests are invited to join us for a post-lecture drinks reception in De Grey foyer.

Events Access & Inclusivity

At York St John University we are committed to making our events as welcoming and inclusive for as many people as possible.

If you are planning to attend one of our events and have specific access requirements, please contact us by e: events@yorksj.ac.uk or t: 01904 876318 and we will make every effort to accommodate you.

If you need a suitable seat reserved for you (and companions), please let us know, preferably at least one week before the event. Sign language interpreters and real-time captioning may be requested in advance. Please contact us as soon as possible (ideally at least 3 weeks before the date of the event) if you require either BSL interpretation or captioning. We will try our best but cannot guarantee provision.

Privacy Policy

York St John University will use the data you submit in Eventbrite for the purposes of administering this event. York St John University utilises third party software for data storage, tracking and analysis activity but your details will not be used by any of these third parties in order to contact you Any data you share with us will be used to help us improve your event experience and for event tracking and analysis activity within the University.

We will only send you important information and reminders related to the event you have booked unless you tell us otherwise. During the booking process, if you opt in to receive emails about the latest events hosted and supported by York St John University, you consent to York St John University contacting you with relevant information.

If you no longer wish to hear from us you can opt out at any time by changing your contact preferences via the link in emails you receive from us or by emailing events@yorksj.ac.uk