Wellbeing economy toolkit for local authorities

Improvements to health, tackling child poverty and reaching climate goals are at the heart of a toolkit to support local economies to be fairer, greener, healthier and more resilient.

The Wellbeing Economy Toolkit: Supporting place-based economic strategy and policy development enables local authorities to identify and measure local wellbeing metrics including health, child poverty, levels of greenhouse gas emissions and fair work, and prioritise investments and policies to improve them.

This will include:

• the creation of more high quality, sustainable local jobs by using more local and regional procurement contracts
• improved transport links to help people access services and work
• better access to the natural environment, which leads to better mental and physical health

The Constitution Secretary announced the toolkit at the Wealth of Nations 2.0 conference at the University of Glasgow. He was joined by representatives from fellow Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) of Finland and Wales to take questions from young people, five years on from the first conversations to establish the network.

Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson said:

“The need for a new economic model has never been clearer, and that’s why I think the wellbeing economy approach is gaining so much interest, both here, and around the world.

“We see that in the growth of WEGo - the network of wellbeing economy governments – which began as a coalition of Scotland, Iceland and New Zealand. Since this event was last held in 2020, two more governments – Finland and Wales – have joined, and other countries including Canada are showing a growing interest.

“Creating a wellbeing economy remains a defining mission for the Scottish Government, and it is my firm belief that Scotland could use the powers of independence to achieve that aim more fully. 

“Building a wellbeing economy is a huge challenge for any country, at any time. The current crises we are facing make it harder, but they also underline why we need to make this transformation as a matter of urgency.”

Jimmy Paul, Director of Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland, said: 

"This practical new toolkit will be an invaluable resource for developing local economic strategies that really work for communities.

“Amidst the cost of living and climate crises, it’s never been more important that economic approaches start with the goal of ensuring we all have what we need to live good lives and protect the health of our natural world, rather than continuing to centre outdated metrics like GDP growth. The toolkit could provide a step-change in the way local economic strategies are delivered in Scotland.”

Background

Wellbeing economy toolkit: supporting place based economic strategy and policy development

The Scottish Government committed to transitioning to a wellbeing economy in Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation

Scotland is a founder member of the Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo)  network, which pools knowledge and shares expertise among its international members on how to transition to a wellbeing economy.

Community wealth building - Cities and regions