The National Economic Development Council (NEDC) was an

economic planning Economic planning is a resource allocation mechanism based on a computational procedure for solving a constrained maximization problem with an iterative process for obtaining its solution. Planning is a mechanism for the allocation of resources ...

forum set up in 1962 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to bring together management, trades unions and government – a form of

tripartism Tripartism is an economic system of neo-corporatism based on a mixed economy and tripartite contracts between employers' organizations, trade unions, and the government of a country. Each is to act as a social partner to create economic policy ...

– in an attempt to address Britain's relative economic decline. It was supported by the National Economic Development Office (NEDO). Both were known as ''Neddy''. Economic Development Committees (EDCs, known as “Little Neddies”) were set up for particular industries. Similar bodies had been evolving for a generation. An Economic Advisory Council had been set up in 1930, chaired by the Prime Minister and including leading economists

John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist and philosopher whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originall ...

and Josiah Stamp. In 1941 a National Production Advisory Council was set up, chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In 1947 there was an Economic Planning Board under Sir Edwin Plowden; it included industrialists and civil servants, and on Plowden's retirement in 1953 the Treasury Permanent Secretary took over as chair. In 1957 the Council on Prices, Productivity and Incomes (“the Three Wise Men”) was set up. NEDC was outlined to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in July 1961 by then Chancellor,

Selwyn Lloyd John Selwyn Brooke Selwyn-Lloyd, Baron Selwyn-Lloyd (28 July 1904 – 17 May 1978), was a British politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Speaker of the House of Commons from 1971 to 1976, having previously hel ...

, and first met in 1962. It was modelled on the

French Economic and Social Council The Economic, Social and Environmental Council ( French: ''Conseil économique, social et environnemental''), known as the Economic and Social Council before the constitutional law of 23 July 2008, is a consultative assembly in France. It doe ...

, and it remained an influential player across the 1970s governments of

Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...

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 ...

and

James Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...

in terms of setting future strategy for UK business and industry, though not in terms of industrial relations. It was headed by a series of consensual industrialists Sir Geoffrey Chandler and Bernard Asher and ex civil servants e.g. John Cassels and one academic Walter Eltis.

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

distrusted the body and scaled down its meetings from monthly to quarterly - of which the Chancellor only attended one per year.Dorey (ed.) 199, p.70 The National Economic Development Council was abolished by

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

in June 1992.Dell 1997, p273Dorey (ed.) 199, p.70 However, within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

the United Kingdom was a member of a similar international body, namely the

Economic and Social Committee The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is a consultative body of the European Union (EU) established in 1958. It is an advisory assembly composed of representatives from employers' associations, workers' unions (trade unions) and c ...

Book

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References

British economic policy Economic planning Economic history of the United Kingdom {{UK-org-stub