In 1998, Wales made history by becoming one of the first countries in the world to embed sustainable development directly into its devolution laws.

In 1998, Wales made history by becoming one of the first countries in the world to embed sustainable development directly into its devolution laws. This bold vision was later enshrined in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which legally requires policymakers to look beyond pure GDP. Instead, a truly ‘prosperous Wales’ is defined by an innovative, productive, and low-carbon society that respects the limits of our natural environment.  

How to turn these ambitious national targets into an everyday reality? 

To bridge the gap between high-level legislation and local delivery, the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 introduced statutory tools known as Area Statements. The logic behind them is that top-down socio-economic and environmental policies must be grounded in local people and places. These co-created statements ensure that tackling the biodiversity crisis and building a well-being economy are driven by local knowledge and genuine community participation.  

More recently, the UK Government announced its ‘Rewiring the State’ agenda, committing to decentralising power away from Whitehall to empower local leaders through a ‘place-based approach to policy’. As English regions prepare for increasingly shared power and fiscal devolution, and devolved nations strengthen existing community empowerment policies, a new Agile Initiative report shares a hopeful message:  

• We don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
• We cannot fix complex issues by treating nature, the economy, and human health as separate siloes.
• We must treat our places as living, interconnected systems – and crucially, trust that the people who live and work there are best placed to address the specific needs of their communities.
• The innovation we need is already happening on the ground; policy just needs to support and connect it.  

Transformative change 

Wales’ years of learning offer live, highly transferable examples that the rest of the UK can learn from. What our research found is that meaningful, transformative change is already happening – often in the quiet, informal spaces between formal institutions and mandates. Innovation doesn’t just come from sweeping top-down reforms; it grows from ‘everyday transformations’ and the experimental practices that are already growing in our neighbourhoods and communities, farms, charities, businesses, local authorities, and government bodies.

The more pertinent task for policymakers isn’t to just introduce new strategies and legislation (which still remains important), but also to protect the space for this grassroots experimentation to thrive. In Wales, mechanisms like Area Statements were designed to do exactly this, and their significance resonates way beyond environmental policy to broader social and economic issues – they essentially provide a formal way to protect and nurture that space for local innovation. We need to actively support the people already testing new ideas, shield them from overly hierarchical systems and rigid reporting metrics, and help connect these small pockets of existing innovation so they can grow.  

To help translate these insights into action across Wales and the UK, the report offers six key ways that policy can help empower community-led governance: 

• Champion local experimentation: Transformative work is already happening on the ground. Instead of imposing rigid top-down structures, governments should legitimise, resource, and learn from these grassroots initiatives to help them scale.
• Activate the tools we already have: We don’t always need new legislation. By empowering existing local boards and frameworks, we can connect local knowledge directly to planning and investment decisions.
• Put farmers at the heart of the solution: With agricultural land making up 90% of Wales and 70% of England, we simply cannot tackle the climate and nature crises without farmers. Supporting farmer-led initiatives is a win-win, improving ecological outcomes while securing long-term livelihoods.
• Keep wealth in the community: Genuine regional resilience comes from keeping money local. By reforming procurement and providing flexible, long-term funding, economic development directly enriches the people who live there.
• Make private finance work for people: Private investment is crucial, but it must be guided by strong, public-interest rules that prioritise community leadership and align with local wellbeing goals.
• Measure what truly matters: Moving away from rigid, short-term cost-benefit ratios allows us to focus on long-term learning and the actual value brought to a community. 

Across the country, a genuine coalition of people is already driving this change. Coming together in our own communities can replace feelings of isolation and disconnect with a true sense of belonging, and a deep pride in place. It reminds us that when we feel we are a small but important part of a much larger movement, we all have the power we need to shape a healthier, happier future. 

This article was originally published by the Agile Initiative. Read the original article here.

This opinion piece reflects the views of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the position of the Oxford Martin School or the University of Oxford. Any errors or omissions are those of the author.