**Concerns Raised Over Effectiveness of Wales’ Flagship Wellbeing Law**
A decade since its inception, Wales’ celebrated Well-being of Future Generations Act is facing mounting criticism over its clarity and enforcement powers. Experts, politicians, and academics have voiced their concerns to the Senedd’s equality committee, questioning whether the law—intended to safeguard the interests of future generations—has made the impact originally promised.
Passed in 2015, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act was designed to embed sustainable thinking into every level of public governance. The statute requires national and local government, health boards and a range of public bodies to pursue seven legally binding wellbeing goals, focusing on social, economic, environmental, and cultural improvements. However, recent testimony has painted a picture of a law hobbled by ambiguity and hampered by insufficient resources.
Labour Member of the Senedd (MS) Mick Antoniw, himself a central figure during the Act’s consultation and drafting phase, was among those to air concerns. He warned that the law risks becoming little more than an “administrative tick-box exercise,” largely due to its broad and undefined aims. “It began as a sustainability bill, but even that was difficult to define,” Antoniw revealed to the committee. The term ‘future generations’ may, he argued, be no less nebulous, leaving public bodies unclear on precise requirements.
A recurring theme throughout the committee’s sessions was the apparent lack of enforcement power vested in the Future Generations Commissioner—a role introduced specifically by the legislation. Antoniw and others suggested that without the authority to compel change or sanction public bodies, the office is limited to recommending rather than ensuring action. “It was a mistake not to give it proper teeth from the outset,” Antoniw admitted, expressing frustration that the law’s mechanisms for accountability remain weak.
Professor Calvin Jones, an environmental economist, echoed these observations, noting the commissioner’s principal recourse has been the public scrutiny of ‘naming and shaming’ non-compliant bodies—a strategy reportedly deployed with caution. “Once you’re seen as an auditor, people start playing the system. There’s always been a reluctance to use naming and shaming,” Jones explained, arguing that this undermines potential for meaningful change.
The effectiveness of the commissioner’s role is also limited, some witnesses believe, by severe underfunding. Jones described the department’s annual budget, currently set at £1.6 million, as laughable when considered against the size of Wales’ £30 billion public sector. “It’s the equivalent of patching a hole in the Titanic with a sticking plaster,” he told MSs, calling for a statutory obligation to dedicate a small portion of all relevant budgets to oversight and accountability—a move which could yield approximately £30 million each year.
Debate over the law’s implementation has also highlighted the issue of institutional complexity. Research associate Eleanor MacKillop pointed to a crowded landscape of boards, committees, and government bodies—an environment she warned could confuse roles and dilute accountability. Decisions often pass through multiple layers of bureaucracy, she cautioned, potentially stifling innovation and fostering a culture of mere ‘box-ticking’.
Jones further criticised what he sees as a lack of ambition from both national ministers and local bodies, pointing to “consensus politics” he described as being dictated by dominant interests. Many public wellbeing plans, he argued, lack clear, stretching targets by which ministers or organisations might be judged.
Recent government decisions also reflect uncertainty over the law’s influence. When then-First Minister Mark Drakeford cancelled plans for an M4 relief road, there was no reference to the Well-being Act in official correspondence. Jones suggested this might have been a deliberate move to avoid potential judicial review—a legal challenge only possible under the Act through lengthy and costly court processes.
The current Future Generations Commissioner, Derek Walker, acknowledged these enforcement shortcomings, describing judicial review as an impractical last resort for most citizens. In written evidence, Walker noted that successful legal action under the Act is virtually unprecedented, with courts rarely permitting such cases to proceed.
As Wales commemorates a decade of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, debate continues over whether it can be made sharper and more effective. Observers inside and outside of government are now asking whether the legislation, hailed as pioneering at its launch, will need significant reform if it is to realise its transformative promise.