Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive of Carnegie UK, has stated that measures of wellbeing should hold significant weight in government decisions concerning tax, spending, and public services. This follows an editorial on Andy Burnham's conference speech on 29 September.
Davidson highlighted that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) already gathers evidence on national wellbeing through its UK Measures of National Well-being Dashboard. However, she noted there is little suggestion this data currently influences policy, including tax and spending plans.
According to Davidson, the primary objective for all governments should be to improve people's lives, particularly for those with the least, without creating future problems. Achieving this, she suggests, requires ministers to measure what is important and use that evidence to guide their decisions.