Report by Duncan Williams
After 28 years at the helm of Church Action on Poverty, Niall Cooper (pictured) is stepping down from his role as director – marking the close of a remarkable chapter in Christian social justice and prompting reflection and gratitude. Since taking the reins in 1997, Niall has been a tireless and strategic advocate for those most financially vulnerable, often working behind the scenes while lifting others into the spotlight.
I first met Niall in the mid-90s, just as he was beginning his work in earnest. At the time, I was a political education officer for my local Labour Party branch in Earls Court, and had heard of Church Action on Poverty through branch meetings and at St Jude’s Church – later to become St Mellitus Theology College.
Although I went on to stand as a local council candidate in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – keen to address social inequality – I received a disheartening 160 votes! It quickly became clear that formal political advocacy wasn’t my calling. While I understood the injustices of poverty all too well, my path took me instead into news reporting and working with the press. So it feels timely to reconnect now, to reflect on Niall Cooper’s life of service. The years have flown, and the UK’s social and political landscape has changed dramatically.
Throughout it all, Niall has followed a steady and principled course. Guided by conviction and shaped by a blend of political insight and theological depth, he has devoted his career to ensuring that those with the least are not the last to be heard.
That commitment was shaped early on. “My university degree was in politics and religion,” he recalls. “I knew I wanted to do that work – not just study it, but do it. My passion was how the churches could make a difference.” In the early 1990s, that passion led him to Hulme, Manchester – then one of the UK’s most deprived areas – where he immersed himself in housing and community activism. He went on to help form the Churches National Housing Coalition, which later merged into Church Action on Poverty. When then-director Paul Goggins was elected as an MP, Niall stepped into the role – and never looked back.
In the decades that followed, his leadership blended political astuteness with deep spiritual clarity. Whether campaigning on the streets, advising policymakers behind closed doors, or facilitating space for those with lived experience, Niall’s work was animated by a core belief: that poverty is not a failing of individuals, but of systems – and those systems must change.
He describes his legacy in four dimensions: national policy change, grassroots empowerment, personal connections with supporters, and the leadership of people who have lived through poverty themselves.
One of Niall’s most memorable moments was the Pilgrimage Against Poverty in 1999. “We organised a nine-week pilgrimage from Iona to Westminster. Six people walked the whole way, but thousands of people joined along the route, for a mile or a day or a week. It was a significant thing for people to be part of, a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he recalls. The pilgrimage culminated in a rally at Trafalgar Square, a service at St Martin-in-the-Fields, and a meeting with then-Chancellor Gordon Brown. It was a powerful demonstration of grassroots engagement and political advocacy.
Another defining campaign was the 2012 Tax Justice Bus Tour in partnership with Christian Aid. “We took a double-decker bus around the country, engaging people in conversations. Both of those things really engaged people behind a powerful message, and created space for conversations,” Niall says. These campaigns not only raised awareness but also mobilised communities, demonstrating the power of collective action.
In terms of policy wins, Niall highlights two major successes. “The first was around financial inclusion work, under the New Labour government. We had meetings with a senior Treasury civil servant and we produced a report making the case for investing in affordable credit, as a result of which the Government then invested £120 million into credit unions,” he shares. Additionally, Niall recalls the long-running campaign with Thrive Teesside, a grassroots initiative led by six women from Stockton-on-Tees to regulate high-cost credit. “The Government was not initially interested, but we built up a coalition with about 80 backbench MPs, and that persuaded the Financial Conduct Authority to properly regulate high-cost lending. As a result, several million pounds in compensation was paid back to tens of thousands of customers of three main high-cost lenders,” he says. This victory is a testament to the power of collaboration and perseverance in the fight against systemic exploitation.
On the community front, Niall highlights the introduction of Participatory Budgeting in the UK alongside Oxfam. “We introduced Participatory Budgeting to the UK and got the Government to fund us to set up a unit that advised local government and communities on how to run their own participatory budgeting programmes,” he explains. This initiative empowered communities across the country, enabling them to have a direct say in how public funds were spent. In Scotland, the model was enshrined in law, further cementing its impact.
Perhaps one of the most transformative projects Niall spearheaded was the launch of the Your Local Pantry initiative in 2013. “We took a very practical local idea that was first tried out in Stockport in 2013, and over the past 12 years have enabled 120 communities (and counting!) to open their own Local Pantries, which are bringing people together through food, and enabling great things to happen,” he says. Niall explains that pantry members have collectively saved over £15 million from their weekly household budgets, and many have reported improvements in health, confidence, and connection. “The characteristic of both of those areas of work is that they empower communities to have control and dignity and agency,” he says.
Niall’s work also centres on amplifying the voices of those with lived experience of poverty. He draws inspiration from figures like Wayne Green, Sarah Whitehead, and Ashleigh May. “Wayne spoke at the first National Poverty Hearing in 1996, and is still involved now. Sarah started off as a participant in one local project and now runs Community Pride in Salford, advises the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and has trained and supported lots of other people to speak up. Ashleigh was made homeless and moved by her council 200 miles away from her community, but has been determined to speak up and create a space for other people, using her experience as an inspiration for making change,” he says. These individuals represent the power of lived experience in shaping policy and activism.
Still, Niall is clear-eyed about the challenges that remain. “People’s belief in political solutions has shifted, and certainly the harshness of the DWP at the moment is more brutal than ever. People who don’t experience poverty do not realise just how punitive and brutal it is. That punitive nature of Government systems has got worse,” he observes. As the state has retreated, churches and communities have filled the gap, but Niall warns against individualising the problem. “There is still a pervasive attitude in places that it’s about tackling poverty one person at a time, individualising the problem and the solutions,” he adds.
As he steps away from formal leadership, Niall has an urgent message for the Church: “The big task for churches is helping build a powerful movement in which people do feel they have agency, dignity and power, and in which they have enough allies to push back and say ‘enough; we are not going to take this anymore’. Churches should invest in that, rather than sticking plaster solutions.”
Looking forward, Niall is embracing new challenges, including fell-running. “In my 60s, I’ve started fell-running, and have just done the Yorkshire Three Peaks race, and I’ll also have some time for seeing family and travelling. I’m going to have a bit of a break and reflect on what I have learnt, but I am not stepping away from the anti-poverty movement. This is still what I am passionate about, and I still want to keep in touch with some of the amazing people I have met,” he shares.
As Niall Cooper moves into this next chapter, I know there are many people across the country – myself included – who want to thank him for his steady and compassionate leadership. His quiet determination to challenge poverty and injustice has made a lasting impact. For me, his example helped shape a more rooted and honest understanding of what it means to confront poverty – not with pity or resentment, but with solidarity, dignity, and hope.
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
(Isaiah 1:17, NIV)