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 of ...

responsible for advising the

UK Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

, Scottish Government,

Welsh Assembly Government Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

, and

Northern Ireland Executive The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the t ...

on sustainable development. It was set up by the Labour Government in June 2000 and closed by the Coalition Government 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. A white pape ...

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 Michael Hugh Meacher (4 November 1939 – 21 October 2015) was a British politician who served as a government minister under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Ol ...

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 government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is 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 Labour Party, he w ...

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 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-governmental ...

.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 advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

(

), the

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland ( sco, heid meinister o Scotland; gd, prìomh mhinistear na h-Alba ) is the head of the Scottish Government and keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The first minister chair ...

( Scottish Government), First Minister for Wales (

), and the

First Minister and deputy First Minister The First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland are the joint heads of government of the Northern Ireland Executive and have overall responsibility for the running of the Executive Office. Despite the different titles for the tw ...

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 environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split wi ...

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

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

and the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

.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 Rebecca Willis is a professor in energy and climate governance at the University of Lancaster in the UK. She researches on the environment and sustainability policy. Career Willis's career involves the intersection of the environment, especial ...

, 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. It was originally released as a report by the Sustainable Development Commission. The study rapidly became the most downloaded report in the Commission's nine-year ...

'' by Prof Tim Jackson in 2009.

Closure and succession

On 22 July 2010, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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 has twice led the Green Party of England and Wales and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brighton Pavilion since the 2010 general election. She was re-electe ...

MP, Guardian journalist and activist

George Monbiot George Joshua Richard Monbiot ( ; born 27 January 1963) is a British writer known for his environmental and political activism. He writes a regular column for ''The Guardian'' and is the author of a number of books. Monbiot grew up in Oxford ...

,The Guardian, 22 July 201
How scrapping the SDC to save money will cost the taxpayer a fortune
/ref> Daily Telegraph 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 of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine how government departments' policies and programmes will affect both the envir ...

, 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