WEAll Scotland responds to the 2026 Scottish Budget

Budgets show us what we value as a

society — and who our economy is designed to serve.

The 2026–27 Scottish Budget includes welcome investments to support people through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Commitments to tackling child poverty, increased funding for health and social care, continued support through the Scottish Child Payment, and investment in childcare and public services provide some support for households, but fall short of addressing the scale of the challenges people face.

But while these investments matter, this Budget remains largely reactive and short-term in its approach. It does not yet signal the shift needed towards a preventative, wellbeing-focused economy that can address the root causes of poverty, inequality and environmental breakdown.

Scotland continues to face high inequality, rising poverty and accelerating climate and nature crises. Tackling these challenges requires more than mitigating harm,  it requires transforming the economic system that produces them.

A Wellbeing Economy offers a clear alternative. As we set out in our manifesto, building a wellbeing economy in Scotland means redesigning our tax and spending decisions so they prioritise dignity, fairness, participation, purpose and care for the natural world. It means embedding wellbeing outcomes at the heart of budgeting, investing upstream in communities and public services, and using Scotland’s existing powers to share wealth more fairly.

Scotland has been recognised internationally for its commitment to the Wellbeing Economy agenda. Now is the time to turn that commitment into action through bold budgets, preventative investment and genuine participation in economic decision-making.

With courage and creativity, future budgets can do more than respond to crises. They can help build an economy that enables people and communities to thrive, now and for generations to come.