Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill: consultation

2. What we want to achieve

The focus on this consultation is the future. The National Outcomes describe the ambitious vision we all have for Scotland and the desire for all of society to work together to protect our environment and improve the quality of people’s lives.

Our ambition to put people and planet at the heart of our economy has never been more important than in the current moment as we tackle the cost of living and climate crises.

We recognise that we need to make greater improvements to the effectiveness of our decision-making to ensure that it is focused on the wellbeing of our people and our planet, in a way that is sustainable and considers the needs of future generations.

The aims of the proposed Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill reflect the priorities of the Scottish Government. The 2023 Policy Prospectus ‘Equality, Opportunity, Community’^[1] sets out the government’s priority to deliver a Wellbeing Economy for people and planet. The 2023-24 Programme for Government^[2] recognises that each mission is connected and, when delivered together, will make a real and positive difference to the lives of people across Scotland.

Continually improving the National Outcomes is one of the ways we can achieve these aims and ensure that we are able to deliver long-term and sustainable policy and delivery approaches. To do this, we need responses from people and organisations across Scotland.

We look forward to considering your views on the questions set out in this consultation, which will shape development of legislative proposals for the proposed Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill in a way that ensures that all decision making is focused on achieving the National Outcomes for current and future generations.