Expert roundtables: Insight summary
Think tank: Carnegie UK
Author(s): Carnegie UK
September 29, 2025
This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK summarises insights gained from expert roundtable discussions held in Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle and Belfast.
In 2025 we hosted four roundtable discussions in Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle and Belfast. These sessions brought together experts in academia, business, economics, government, public policy and the third sector to grapple with some of the big fiscal policy challenges we all face.
Ahead of these roundtables, we circulated a discussion paper produced with Carnegie UK Associate Eleanor Ryan. The paper set out broad tax and spend trends and projections for each part of the UK and highlighted relevant issues of current concern about our collective wellbeing, identified through our annual Life in the UK index. We also highlighted the concept of the social contract between citizens and the state in the UK as an important aspect of the debate about how governments could more effectively raise and spend public money in pursuit of policy outcomes.
The roundtables explored common policy themes and successful approaches, bringing together learning and understanding from across the nations and jurisdictions of the UK.
