Celebrating our founders - Sir Peter Barclay

Peter Barclay, the nephew of Irene Barclay, was born in 1926 in south London and served in the Royal Navy at the end of WWII before studying history at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He then went on to qualify as a solicitor. Thanks to his upbringing in a political family in a Quaker setting, Peter was destined to take a strong interest in social issues. He began doing community work by providing free legal advice at Mary Ward House. 

As a trustee for Joseph Rowntree Memorial Trust, Peter managed the family fund for families of children with severe disabilities. He was Chairman of the Social Security Advisory Committee from 1984 to 1993, where he influenced government policy for social work and housing. During the Thatcher years Peter was also an important defender of the welfare state. He chaired the 1995 Joseph Rowntree Foundation Inquiry into Income and Wealth which led the way to the introduction of the National Minimum Wage.

Peter got involved in St Pancras Housing Association as a lawyer to collect rent arrears from residents. It was his aunt, Irene Barclay, who suggested he get more involved in the association. In 1975 he joined the society’s Management Committee and went on to become Chair from 1983 until 1991.