Scottish Labour is the only party serious in delivering for the people of Scotland

When it comes to sustainable development and wellbeing, the SNP/Green led Scottish government is all soundbite and no substance. Only Scottish Labour make sustainable development and positive wellbeing a priority.

In the past, we have too often seen policies that prioritise short-term outcomes with little or no regard for their long-term implications. The climate emergency demonstrates this firsthand, with us now seeing the knock-on impacts that previous policies are having today. From our commitment to reaching net zero to securing our NHS for generations to come, our Scottish government must act to develop policy that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

The current SNP/Green Scottish government, however, consistently fails to use the considerable powers at its disposal to develop a plan that does this. The national performance framework introduced by the Scottish government in 2007, aimed to provide the necessary framework that would ensure all aspects of government worked together to make achieving the UN sustainable development goals a priority.

If achieved, this would reduce inequality, give equal importance to economic, environmental and social progress and increase the wellbeing of people living in Scotland. Yet, it did not put the binding duties on public bodies that would foster the policy cohesion so desperately needed, with the national performance framework remaining advisory only. By not putting it onto a statutory footing the Scottish government failed to give it the necessary powers needed to address these challenges.

Moreover, for all the talk of the importance of sustainable development and wellbeing by the SNP and Scottish Greens, there is no clarity about what sustainable development or wellbeing actually mean. Analysis by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) showed that 35 Acts of the Scottish parliament contain references to sustainable development, approximately 10% of all Acts, but there is no recognised statutory definition for sustainable development.

The picture of what wellbeing actually means is even less certain. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that building a wellbeing economy is a top priority of the Scottish government, but has so far been slow to set out a clear plan for how this would work in reality. This creates confusion and hampers any chance we have of securing a sustainable future for the next generation.

The SNP and Scottish Greens have been slow to commit to a bill of this nature, despite its inclusion in their 2021-2022 programme for government. This is in spite of the growing evidence that a bill that would help ensure decisions meet the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs is needed now more than ever.

I believe that that we need to act now and work together to tackle the significant challenges we face at home and globally. That is why I have decided to propose this members’ bill, to ensure that we work together to create a fairer, more sustainable future. Because we owe it to future generations to leave behind a planet where they can live and thrive. My members bill has three broad aims, it would:

1. Place new definitions of sustainable development and wellbeing into legislation;
2. Establish a wellbeing and sustainable development commissioner; and
3. Introduce new public duties in relation to sustainable development and wellbeing based on these new definitions and strengthen existing duties.

By putting a definition of sustainable development and wellbeing into legislation, we can ensure that the Scottish government works to the same principles across all policy areas, thus reducing confusion and improving the way Government operates. This would act as a key to reducing the inequality faced by too many in Scotland and across the globe.

In creating a new wellbeing and sustainable development commissioner, the bill would provide new investigatory powers to ensure that the duties conferred by this bill are being upheld and public bodies held to account. Increasing transparency so that when duties to reduce carbon emissions or to consider wellbeing in decision-making are placed on the public sector these are monitored.

As part of the process of making this bill as strong as possible I want to hear from as many interested parties as possible. You can answer the consultation process here.

The Scottish people overwhelmingly want a more sustainable country, that meets their needs but also the needs of their children and grandchildren. I believe that this bill will do just that, as well as providing an opportunity to create a fairer, more balanced country. By bringing this bill forward in place of the Scottish government, Scottish Labour is demonstrating that we are the only party serious in delivering for the people of Scotland.