Delivering the Northern Ireland we want

A delegation of Community Planning Partnership representatives is heading to Wales with the Carnegie UK Trust to learn about how Northern Ireland can do more to put the wellbeing of citizens at the heart of government policy.

Whilst Northern Ireland Executive is currently in suspension, councils have been leading the way in incorporating the wellbeing agenda into their ambitions for their local areas through Community Planning.

The group from three Community Planning Partnerships, which includes Lisburn and Castlereagh District Council, Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council and Derry and Strabane District Council, will hear from the Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford AM, on how his government have incorporated wellbeing into their ambition to deliver ‘The Wales we want’. They will also hear from Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, who is responsible for promoting the sustainable development principle and acts as a guardian of the ability of future generations to meet their needs and encourage public bodies to take greater account of the long-term impact of the things they do.

At Council level, Welsh Public Services Boards must carry out a well-being assessment and publish an annual local wellbeing plan, which sets out how they will meet their responsibilities under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act.

In Northern Ireland, new duties were placed on local authorities and their statutory partners to include wellbeing in their Community Plans following the reduction in the number of councils from 26 to 11. This has been transformational for local government, who have seized the opportunity to engage more with citizens in delivering the communities they want.

Facilitated by the Carnegie UK Trust through their Embedding Wellbeing in Northern Ireland programme, the study visit will give delegates the opportunity to engage with policy makers and politicians and find out about how the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act has enabled them to improve the wellbeing of citizens.

Chair of the Embedding Wellbeing in Northern Ireland Advisory Group, Aideen McGinley said:

‘The Trust is committed to learning from best practice where we find it, and Wales is an international leader in improving wellbeing through legislation.

‘Given the similar duties placed on local government and their partners in both Wales and Northern Ireland to improve local wellbeing outcomes, there is much that these near neighbours can learn from each other, and the Trust is delighted to help make this happen’.

Speaking at the event, the Future Generations Commissioner said:

“I am looking forward to sharing learning with the Embedding Wellbeing Northern Ireland delegation on the Welsh approach to well-being through our ground-breaking legislation.  As Commissioner I regularly share learning and ideas with other countries, as it is important that we all work differently to ensure that well-being is at the core of our policy and decision-making as we face some of the biggest challenges such as climate change.

“I will be watching with interest how Northern Ireland develop and embed policy into their communities.”

ENDS

21.03.19

Notes to Editors

• The Carnegie UK Trust is an independent not-for-profit foundation set up in 1913 through an initial endowment of £10million by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
• The work of the Trust is non-partisan and dedicated to improving the wellbeing of people across the UK and Ireland, and is one of over 20 Carnegie foundations and institutes worldwide.
• More information on our work can be found here.
• Carnegie UK Trust are hosting Embedding Wellbeing in Northern Ireland, a three year project providing financial and in-kind support to three local Community Planning Partnerships. Following an open Expression of Interest process, Derry and Strabane District Council, Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council, and Lisburn and Castlereagh were selected by an independent, external Advisory Group to receive a support package to implement a local wellbeing outcomes approach through their Community Plan.
• For more information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015)
• For media enquiries, contact Anna Mercer on 0770 383 0139 or email [email protected].