An ambitious and impactful Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Act
Deliver a world-leading Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill to embed a long-term and preventative approach to public policy, and to ensure the National Outcomes and the framework they sit in becomes a road map for a future where everyone can thrive. The legislation will be crucial to inspire new ways of thinking and working to tackle the urgent and interconnected challenges Scotland is facing, from poverty to climate change and from housing to social care, while protecting current and future generations everywhere.
The Scottish Government consulted on the idea of a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill in December 2023 and published a summary of responses in July 2024. The 2024-5 Programme for Government uses the language of a ‘wellbeing economy’ but the Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill is not among the proposed Bills. However, a Member’s Bill on the same topic has been proposed by Sarah Boyack MSP and should come to the Scottish Parliament before the next election.
The Scottish Government should support the proposed Members’ Bill to enshrine a statutory requirement for all future Scottish Governments to align budgets to sustainable development objectives. The Bill should create: clear definitions for key terms, such as ‘sustainable development’ and ‘wellbeing’; clarify and strengthen duties on public bodies for delivering the national outcomes; and require the creation of national outcome delivery plans and annual progress reports.
All future economic strategies should also be underpinned by long-term sustainable development objectives, never short-term GDP growth for growth’s sake.
The Scottish Government should also support the introduction of an independent Future Generations Commissioner as part of the Bill. Such a Commissioner would:
- be placed on a statutory footing as part of the Bill to signal the importance the Government places on sustainable development and the wellbeing of current and future generations
- provide a space for learning to coalesce
- help build the capacity of public bodies and support them to understand and implement duties relating to sustainable development and the delivery of the National Outcomes
- monitor the implementation of sustainable development duties through scrutiny and investigative power
- assess delivery of the National Outcomes and address the implementation gap
- be an ambassador to engage the wider public, and provide advice and scrutiny to the Scottish Government
Above all, the creation of a new Commissioner would support a shift towards long-termism in policy making. Current political structures reward short-term policy interventions, even when they incur future costs, for example on health and the environment. By bringing a future generations lens to decision making, a Commissioner could help to embed the principles of long-termism, and as such should be seen as an investment in prevention. The Commissioner would also be able to provide cost-effective support to public bodies, avoiding the duplication of efforts.
For further information:
A Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill for Scotland. A briefing prepared by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland, Carnegie UK, Oxfam Scotland and Scotland’s International Development Alliance, 2024, https://www.weallscotland.org/_files/ugd/e2bd6b_3e92de89591e4daa9a1e82da61470944.pdf
Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill A response to the Scottish Government consultation by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland February 2024, https://www.stopclimatechaos.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Wellbeing-and-Sustainable-Development-Bill-response-by-SCCS.pdf
Towards a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill, Scotland’s International Development Alliance, 2022, https://www.intdevalliance.scot/how-we-help/policy-and-advocacy/wsd-bill
National Outcomes Review 2023: Response to Call for Evidence, Oxfam Scotland, May 2023, https://oxfam.app.box.com/file/1225834059244?s=nogb55ytbl5jhgrxukps5pas8go4m2fx
Sarah Boyack MSP’s proposed member’s bill and the responses to it provide useful prompts on many key issues.
