Country could be testing ground for basic income

WALES could be the test ground for a pioneering initiative to introduce a basic income from the Government and a shorter working week, according to the Future Generations Commissioner, writes Chris Pyke.

Sophie Howe is leading work on how giving people an unconditional regular payment could prevent further mass unemployment and poverty caused by the pandemic.

Ms Howe, whose job remit is to look after the interests of future generations, has launched research into the practicalities of a dramatic change to how people live and work.

The commissioner, whose role is enshrined in law as part of Wales’ Well-being of Future Generations Act, and her office are working with the think-tank Autonomy on a project to explore how both policies could help solve the unemployment crisis as companies slash jobs.

They were recommended in her Future Generations Report, published in March, but the office believes they have become critical since the pandemic.

The ideas have gained increasing momentum in mainstream thinking, with basic income now a key Liberal Democrat policy.

Ms Howe’s Manifesto for the Future, launching this month, will urge political parties in Wales to commit to exploring them in their manifestos ahead of next May’s Senedd elections.

The work with Autonomy is the first feasibility study of its kind in Wales and will seek to provide answers to many of the oftenasked questions about a basic income, including how it could be funded, and who would receive it.

Ms Howe thinks a basic income could significantly change people’s lives at a time when earnings are increasingly unsteady, improving mental wellbeing, giving more freedom of choice, improving educational attainment, reducing crime and addiction rates, and relieving pressure on public services like healthcare.

Political support for a basic income is growing, with members of the Senedd giving overwhelming backing to start a pilot scheme in a recent debate tabled by Alyn and Deeside MS Jack Sargeant.

Several different models have been debated globally, from the Government topping up low incomes, to a universal basic income where everyone is paid a guaranteed rate.

The commissioner says a basic income and shorter working week could place a higher value on care work and volunteering, retaining some of the positives seen over the past few months.

The 12-week study will collaborate with employees, economists and leading experts and is due to report its findings in December.