The Carnegie UK Trust says it is vital that wellbeing is placed at the heart of the recovery from Covid-19

Wellbeing should be at the heart of plans to Build Back Better, new research has said.

The Carnegie UK Trust has published six propositions which it says can help create a better Britain post-Covid-19.

The proposals focus on medium term recovery, with the trust arguing there is a collective responsibility to use what we have learned not just to repair the immediate damage but to also consider how to make our economic, social and democratic structures fit for the future.

The six propositions are based on the trust’s history of research, policy and practice development on wellbeing. They are: national wellbeing can be the goal; the relationship between the state and citizens can be reset; the future can be local (as well as global); our relationship with work can be remodelled; we can build a new level of financial resilience; and technology can be for all.

Sarah Davidson, chief executive of the Carnegie UK Trust, said the pandemic has produced some positives that can be built upon.

She said: “The devastation that Covid-19 is causing to the lives of individuals, communities and businesses cannot be understated, but we can see some positive things emerging from the situation. The response and coming together that the pandemic has prompted shows how we can come out from this as a society which places the wellbeing of its citizens at its heart.

“One of the challenges – and indeed opportunities – for government and its partners emerging from this will be to capture what has worked well, and embed this in the post-Covid-19 recover phase. Although we do not know what our ‘new normal’ will look like, we do know the skills that it will require – collaboration and a citizen centred approach.”

The propositions can be viewed in full on the trust's website.