How is cooperation changing Hull?

Cooperation Hull is proving that when communities take charge, transformation follows

Our Fair Future has teamed up with Antidote to bring you stories of people building a future that works, and they’re doing it in communities just like yours, showing what’s possible when we take charge together.

What began as a spark of dissatisfaction has ignited into an ambitious grassroots movement that its founders say could transform not just Hull, but the whole of northern England.

Dubbed Cooperation Hull, the project has one bold mission: to create “the world people need to live in” by putting the power back into the hands of communities themselves.

At the heart of this quiet revolution are neighbourhood assemblies—lively gatherings held across Hull’s postcodes where locals come together to thrash out problems, celebrate successes, and dream up solutions. The message? You don’t need permission—you can just do stuff.

From building a community skate park with the help of a local carpenter, to launching projects that bring neighbours closer, the results are already sparking excitement. That enthusiasm, say organisers, is “infectious”—and it’s spreading.

Already, other cities are eyeing the model, with a vision emerging of a vast network of cooperations stretching across the north of England.

The principles are simple yet powerful: believe in your own potential, work with respect, and trust that together, people can achieve almost anything. It’s about being bold, creative and unafraid to imagine a different future.

Hull might once have been overlooked, but if this movement has its way, it will soon be famous for something entirely new—a city where people didn’t just wait for change… they built it themselves.

Watch the video below to find out more.