The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) was a

non-departmental public body In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process o ...

responsible for advising the

UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

Welsh Assembly Government Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

, and

Northern Ireland Executive The Northern Ireland Executive (Irish language, Irish: ''Feidhmeannas Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster Scots: ''Norlin Airlan Executive'') is the devolution, devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branc ...

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

. It was set up by the Labour Government in June 2000 and closed by the

Coalition Government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

in March 2011.BBC, 22 July 2010
UK government axes its sustainability watchdog
/ref>

Establishment

In 1999 the Labour Government made the policy case for sustainable development in a

White paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...

entitled ''A better quality of life''.UK Government, 199
A better quality of life - strategy for sustainable development for the United Kingdom – 1999
/ref> Pressure then came to oversee the Government's progress and develop policy on sustainable development, including from Michael Meacher MP.The Guardian, 22 July 201
Government axes UK sustainability watchdog
/ref> Subsequently, the Sustainable Development Commission was founded by

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (31 May 1938 – 20 November 2024) was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the ...

in June 2000. It replaced the UK Round Table on Sustainable Development, a stakeholder body, and the British Government Panel on Sustainable Development, a Government

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

.Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, James Medhurst, 200
Case study of the governance for sustainable development in the United Kingdom: institutional aspects of sustainable development
/ref>

Leadership and purpose

The commission reported directly to the

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

(

), the

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...

(

), First Minister for Wales (

), and the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (

). Its responsibilities to the four bodies were broadly similar: it was an official watchdog on sustainability; it scrutinised progress on meeting targets on the sustainable management of the bodies' estates and procurement; and it provided cross-departmental policy advice and assistance.Sustainable Development Commission, 4 April 201
Our Role
/ref> From 2000 to 2009 the Commission was chaired by the former Director of

Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of grassroots environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of the member groups call themselves "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages; the others use other ...

, Jonathan Porritt, and between 2009 and its closure in 2011, it was chaired by Will Day formerly of

Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

and the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

.The Ecologist, 20 August 200
Will Day: new watchdog chief on GM, nuclear and political jargon
/ref>Sustainable Development Commission, 200

profile The vice-chair from 2004 to 2011 was Rebecca Willis, a researcher on environment and sustainability practice. It produced reports such as ''

Prosperity Without Growth ''Prosperity Without Growth'' is a book by author and economist Tim Jackson (economist), Tim Jackson. It was originally released as a report by the Sustainable Development Commission. The study rapidly became the most downloaded report in the ...

'' by Prof Tim Jackson in 2009.

Closure and succession

On 22 July 2010, the

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for environmental quality, environmenta ...

announced that it would stop funding the Commission. The decision was part of the Coalition Government's quango reforms, termed by the media as a "bonfire of the quangos"The Guardian, 13 February 201
'Bonfire of the quangos' threatens climate change committee
/ref>The Independent, 15 October 201

/ref> Jonathan Porritt described the decision an
act of ideological vandalism
. This news was criticised by Green

Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960) is a British politician who was the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2003 to 2006, 2007 to 2012, and 2016 to 2018. She was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parli ...

MP, Guardian journalist and activist

George Monbiot George Joshua Richard Monbiot ( ; born 27 January 1963) is an English journalist, author, and Environmental movement, environmental and political activist. He writes a regular column for ''The Guardian'' and has written several books. Monbiot ...

,The Guardian, 22 July 201
How scrapping the SDC to save money will cost the taxpayer a fortune
/ref>

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

journalist Geoffrey Lean,The Telegraph, 23 July 201
Is it badger-hunting season?
/ref> and

.The Guardian, 27 July 201
Divided, the green lobby will fall
/ref> They claimed the Commission was necessary for the Government to fulfil its ambition to be the "greenest government ever". The Chair of the

Environmental Audit Select Committee The Environmental Audit Select Committee is a Select committee (United Kingdom), select committee of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine ho ...

, Labour MP Joan Walley, also criticised the decision to close the Commission.Utility Week, 22 July 201
EAC chairman questions decision as bonfire of the quangos spreads to Defra
/ref> She led efforts to ensure the Commission's role had a successor, and in January 2011 the Environmental Audit Select Committee recommended the creation of a new Minister for Sustainable Development.Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 10 January 201
Environmental Audit Committee recommends minister for sustainable development
/ref>

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sustainable Development Sustainability in the United Kingdom Sustainability organizations Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Defunct environmental agencies

Establishment

Leadership and purpose

Closure and succession

See also

References

External links