The Women's National Commission (often shortened to WNC) was an advisory

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 ...

(NDPB) set up in 1969 by former Prime Minister

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...

to advise the United Kingdom's government on women's views, and to act as an umbrella body for UK-based women's groups in their dealings with government. Until the 1990s, it was run by an executive, as voted for by its 'partners'. These were women's groups that had applied for and gained formal membership, the number of groups allowed to become members was limited to fifty. The government appointed a co-chair to manage the body, together with the elected chair. After a review of the organisation in the late 1990s, it was relaunched as an NDPB. The government gave up its permanent co-chair position and removed the limit on the number of partner organisations it could have affiliated. Partners then ceased to have a formal role in running the body. The Minister for Women then became responsible for appointing a board of Commissioners and a Chair, who would represent all partners and the wider women's movement. In July 2007,

Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman, Baroness Harman, (born 30 July 1950), is a British politician and solicitor who served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Chair of the Labour Party (UK), Chair of the Labour Pa ...

, the newly appointed Minister for Women, announced that it would have a new role in consulting with women, to discover what they felt she should be doing as Minister. In October 2010, it was announced that the WNC would close on 31 December 2010 as part of the review of all NDPBs by the UK Government. It has now closed. A "legacy document" has been published to show the work that it had undertaken.Legacy Document
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References

External links

Women's National Commission website
{{Authority control 1969 establishments in the United Kingdom 2010 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Defunct non-departmental public bodies of the United Kingdom government Government agencies established in 1969 Government agencies disestablished in 2010 Government Equalities Office Women in the United Kingdom Defunct women's organizations History of women in the United Kingdom