The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act: A Success Story

The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act came into force in Wales in April 2016 and introduced a legal obligation for public bodies in Wales to improve the social, cultural, environmental, and economic wellbeing of Welsh citizens.

The Act defines Sustainable Development in Wales as "The process of improving the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales by taking action, in accordance with the sustainable development principle, aimed at achieving the well-being goals."

Under the Act, these bodies were tasked with considering the long-term impact of Wales by working with communities to decrease poverty, reduce health inequalities, and mitigate the impact of climate change. Crucially, the Act has changed the way success is measured – evaluating progress based on wellbeing, rather than GDP.

The Act has seven Well-being Goals that were derived from the Wales We Want initiative. These are:

A Prosperous Wales
A Resilient Wales
A More Equal Wales
A Healthier Wales
A Wales of Cohesive Communities
A Wales of Vibrant Culture and Thriving Welsh Language
A Globally Responsible Wales

It sets out five ways of working needed for public bodies to achieve the seven well-being goals. These are:

Long term – recognising the importance of balancing short-term needs, while safeguarding long term needs
Integration – public bodies ensuring that all the wellbeing goals are considered in initiatives
Involvement – ensuring those with an interest in achieving the well-being goals are involved and those people reflect the diversity of the area that public body services
Collaboration – working well with individuals, different parts of the public body involved, or even other public bodies
Prevention – acting to prevent problems occurring or escalating to meet wellbeing objectives

The Act is broad in scope and requires organisations to work in new, innovative, and often challenging ways for the benefit of future generations.

A History of Sustainable Development in Wales

The Welsh Government was set up in 1999 following a referendum on the devolution of powers from the UK Government to Wales. The Government of Wales Act (1998) gave the newly created National Assembly of Wales (Senedd Cymru) a constitutional duty to promote sustainable development in the exercise of its functions. This is a unique duty that does not appear in the devolution Acts of the other devolved administrations.

In March 2011, the new Conservative and Liberal Democrat UK coalition Government abolished the non-statutory Sustainable Development Commission. This commission had provided advice to the UK and devolved governments, drawings on expert advice from the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and the United States. During this time, the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act was proposed by the Welsh Minister for Environment, Jane Davison, to make sustainability the central organising principle of government in Wales. The Act became Law in 2015 and came into force in 2016.

Implementation

The Act requires Welsh Ministers and Public Bodies to produce local wellbeing plans; which set out the Public Services Boards' (PSB) priorities and actions for the next five years to improve the economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being of each local PSB area in Wales. Progress is monitored and accessed through annual wellbeing reports. Ministers are also required to provide a Future Trends report considering the latest data available on climate change.

A Future Generations Commissioner supports public bodies and Welsh policy makers to consider the long-term impact of their decisions. Finally, the Auditor General reviews all documentation, data, and information to examine the extent to which Ministers and Public Bodies are ensuring that sustainable development is at the heart of wellbeing objectives.

Success in Wales

Since coming into force, the Act has been seen as a success for Wales. It has ensured that wellbeing is not just a buzzword, but at the top of the agenda. It has been deemed the biggest cultural change programme ever seen in Wales and has allowed a mindset shift within the Welsh Government that has slowly, but surely, unpicked or mitigated nearly every barrier that comes into conflict with it. Platitudes have been removed with the intention that the Act can be used to serve the best interests of Wales as a country and its citizens.

In the years since it came into force, the following progress has been made:

Education

School curricula have been redeveloped with a focus on educating well-rounded, ethically informed citizens. Significant action has been taken to develop education and skills for a Net Zero world, with climate change and eco-literacy added to the curriculum.
Mental health and wellbeing have become a priority through the Whole Schools Approach to Emotional and Mental Wellbeing (HEFCW). Also, it was recognised that the HEFCW was not included within the scope of the Act. Therefore, the HEFCW cooperated with the General Auditor to review how it was aligned with the expectations of the Act. The Auditor General also provided a plan on how the HEFCW could create and implement a policy statement on wellbeing and health in higher education through better relationships with organisations that will support both students and staff.

Health

A 10-year national healthcare strategy has been produced for 2020-2030, focusing on supporting wellbeing and prevention, instead of just treating illnesses.
Significant steps have been taken to address levels of poverty, which has been determined as the root cause of poor health. For example, a Universal Basic Income pilot scheme for care leavers has been introduced. Studies indicate that this initiative could decrease overall poverty by 50% and reduce childhood poverty by 64%.
Initiatives and assessments are taking place to address housing, unemployment, education, and the environment.
The creation of a hospital owned solar farm, which was the first of its kind, at the Morriston Hospital in Swansea has resulted savings of £1 million a year in electricity costs. This is an example of how healthcare facilities can protect health, the environment, and public finances by working towards Swansea Bay University Health Board net zero plans.

Transport

Plans for a 13-mile motorway extension near Newport have been scrapped, with the funding being directed towards sustainable transport instead.
A target of increasing public transport use, walking, and cycling by 45% before 2045.
Homeworking has been promoted to reduce carbon emissions and improve health.
Ensuring all new housing developments create better communities that do not need to drive to cities or towns for work, as requirements by the National Planning Policy Framework and the Welsh Government’s Building Better Places policy document.

Waste

A Wales Beyond Recycling Strategy has been set up in response to the aim of zero waste by 2050.
Ambitious recycling, reducing and reusing materials schemes have created jobs, reduced carbon emissions and allowed families to save money.
The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 has banned the use of single-use plastic plates, such as cutlery, drink stirrers, straws, balloon sticks and cotton buds, as well as polystyrene cups and take-away containers.

Further afield

After seeing the results of the Act, Scotland and Ireland have committed to enshrine the principles of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act into future legislation for their countries. Countries such as Japan, New Zealand, Canada, France, and Germany have also taken inspiration from the “Welsh model”. In 2023, the Welsh Government released a Future Generations Policy Toolkit to assist other countries in developing their own Acts.

In September 2024, the United Nations’ Summit of the Future signed the Declaration on Future Generations, inspired by the Welsh model. The Declaration commits to safeguard the wellbeing and needs of future generations and has been declared as a milestone in the global movement for long term decision making. An implementation handbook and policy brief has also been released, outlining a roadmap for policy makers in UN countries to embed intergenerational fairness and long-term governance principles into national strategies.

Notes

Public Service Boards have now been set up in areas – including Bridgend, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan, Pembrokeshire, and Wrexham. Members of each Public Service Board include members of Local Authorities, Local Health Boards, Welsh Fire and Rescue authorities and Natural Resources Bodies. Initiations are also provided to Welsh Ministers, chief constables, the Police and Crime Commissioner and voluntary organisations.

Public Bodies include Local Authorities, Ministers, NHS Trusts, National Parks, the Higher Education Funding Council, the Arts Council, the Sports Councils, and the National Library and Museums.

Organisations – large and small – are also part of the legislation and movement, with the Team Wales approach in mind. This includes teachers, public service providers, communities, businesses, tourist destinations, leisure centres, recycling centres, building societies, and construction sites.