WPG endorses the development of a Social Value Bill for Northern Ireland

The WPG endorses the development of a Social Value Bill for Northern Ireland. As Northern Ireland is currently the only jurisdiction in the UK without social value legislation the development of this Bill is important.

However, this delay could present an opportunity to incorporate best practices from the other jurisdictions into Northern Irish legislation. The WPG would like to draw particular attention to Wales's ambitious and unique approach to social value legislation. The Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 sets out an ambitious framework which places a ‘well-being duty’ on all public bodies, as well as the creation of Public Service Boards and a Future Generations Commissioner. Stokes and Smyth (2024) argue that this legislation puts in place a framework through which a new normative policy culture can develop, altering ‘the material conditions of public sector decision making’.

The WPG urges the drafters of this Bill to match the ambition and scope of the Welsh Act, ensuring that a social value approach becomes embedded within Northern Irish public sector decision-making.

This is an excerpt from the full consultation response.