Event

Welsh Elections 2026: Tax, spending and the economy (Bangor)

This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies discusses the current fiscal landscape and analyses the proposals of Wales’s political parties.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies and Bangor University invite you to join us for an evening of insight and discussion on the fiscal, economic, and public policy choices facing Wales ahead of the 2026 Welsh elections.

As voters prepare to head to the polls on 7 May 2026, this event will explore the parties’ plans on tax, spending and the economy, and the wider challenges and opportunities facing the next Welsh Government.

At this joint Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and Bangor University event, leading experts will set out the current fiscal landscape and analyse the proposals put forward by Wales’s political parties:

• David Phillips – Head of Devolved and Local Government Finance, IFS
  An overview of Welsh Government funding, public service spending and performance, and tax and benefit policy, followed by analysis of the parties’ tax and spending plans.
• Professor Michael Butler – Professor of Management, Bangor Business School
  A discussion of the challenges and opportunities for the Welsh economy and labour market arising from decarbonisation and the shift to renewable energy, including impacts in north Wales.
• Dr Rhys ap Gwilym – Senior Lecturer in Economics, Bangor University
  An assessment of recent changes and party proposals on local taxes and local government funding, with a focus on implications for councils in north Wales.

Marian Wyn Jones will chair the discussion and the audience Q&A.