Women's National Commission

The Women's National Commission, commonly known as the WNC, was a United Kingdom government advisory body established in 1969 during the premiership of Harold Wilson. Its purpose was to provide a structured channel through which women's organisations could communicate their views to government and to ensure that women's concerns were considered in public policy. Although it was a public body rather than a commercial brand, the WNC functioned as a recognisable national platform for consultation across the women's movement. The Commission operated as an umbrella organisation for UK-based women's groups. In its earlier form, participating organisations were known as partners. Until the 1990s, the partners had a formal role in the organisation's governance: they voted for an executive, while the government appointed a co-chair to work alongside an elected chair. Membership was limited to fifty organisations, creating a defined but relatively narrow representative structure. This arrangement reflected an attempt to combine civil-society participation with direct government oversight. A review in the late 1990s led to a substantial reorganisation. The WNC was relaunched as an advisory non-departmental public body, or NDPB. The permanent government co-chair position was removed, and the cap on the number of affiliated partner organisations was abolished. At the same time, partner organisations no longer had a formal management role. Instead, the Minister for Women became responsible for appointing the Commission's board of Commissioners and its Chair. The Chair was expected to represent the interests of the wider women's movement as well as the organisations connected with the Commission. The WNC's work centred on consultation, representation and policy communication rather than the sale of products or services. It provided a mechanism for gathering views from women's groups and conveying them to ministers and officials. Its remit therefore intersected with a wide range of social and public-policy questions affecting women, although the available reference material does not identify a complete catalogue of its individual policy interventions. In July 2007, Harriet Harman, then newly appointed Minister for Women, announced that the Commission would take on a new consultative role. The stated aim was to engage with women and identify what they believed the Minister should prioritise. This reflected the WNC's core function as an intermediary between government and women's organisations, while also broadening the emphasis from representing established partner groups to listening to women more directly. The WNC was ultimately affected by the UK Government's review of non-departmental public bodies. In October 2010, the government announced that the Commission would close at the end of that year. It ceased operating on 31 December 2010. A legacy document was subsequently published to record and preserve information about the work it had undertaken. The organisation is therefore a historical British public institution rather than an active contemporary organisation.

The Women's National Commission was created in 1969 under Prime Minister Harold Wilson as a formal link between the UK Government and women's organisations. Its institutional role was advisory: it was intended to communicate women's views to ministers and provide an umbrella structure through which UK-based women's groups could engage with government. During its earlier period, the Commission was governed through a partnership model. Women's organisations could apply to become formal partners, although the number of partner groups was capped at fifty. Those partners voted for an executive, giving participating organisations a direct role in the body's internal leadership. The government also appointed a co-chair, who served alongside the chair elected through the partner structure. This arrangement combined a measure of self-governance by women's organisations with continuing government involvement. A review conducted in the late 1990s changed the Commission's constitutional and operational model. It was relaunched as an advisory non-departmental public body. The permanent government co-chair role was discontinued, and the restriction on the number of partner organisations was removed. However, partners no longer had a formal role in running the organisation. Responsibility for appointing the Chair and the board of Commissioners passed to the Minister for Women. The Chair's representative remit extended beyond the formally affiliated groups to the wider women's movement. The Commission continued to serve as a consultation and representation mechanism. Its work was not commercial and did not consist of a conventional product portfolio. Rather, it gathered perspectives from women's organisations and helped transmit those perspectives into government discussions. The available reference material describes its broad institutional purpose but does not provide a complete list of all consultations, submissions or policy campaigns undertaken during its lifetime. In July 2007, Harriet Harman announced a renewed role for the WNC in consulting women about what she should do as Minister for Women. The announcement placed emphasis on listening to women and identifying their priorities, consistent with the Commission's established function as a bridge between government and civil society. The organisation's final phase followed the UK Government's review of non-departmental public bodies. In October 2010, the government announced that the WNC would close. It ended its operations on 31 December 2010. A legacy document was published afterward to preserve a record of the Commission's activities and institutional contribution. The WNC is consequently best understood as a defunct British public advisory body with a historical role in connecting government to women's organisations, rather than as an active membership organisation or commercial entity.

• 2010

  Closure announced and completed

  [1]Women's National Commissionen.wikipedia.org

  The government announced the Commission's closure during its review of non-departmental public bodies; the WNC ceased operating on 31 December.

• 2007

  New consultation role announced

  [1]Women's National Commissionen.wikipedia.org

  Harriet Harman announced that the WNC would consult women about the priorities she should pursue as Minister for Women.

• 1990

  Governance review and NDPB relaunch

  [1]Women's National Commissionen.wikipedia.org

  Following a review in the late 1990s, the Commission was relaunched as an advisory non-departmental public body, with changes to partner participation, appointments and government oversight.

• 1969

  Women's National Commission established

  [1]Women's National Commissionen.wikipedia.org

  The UK Government established the Commission under Prime Minister Harold Wilson to advise on women's views and provide an umbrella channel for women's organisations.

Government-linked consultation and representation platform for women's organisations and women's policy concerns in the United Kingdom.

• 2007Consultation with women on ministerial priorities

  United Kingdom

  The Commission was assigned a renewed consultative role to discover what women believed the Minister for Women should address.

  Outcome. The announcement positioned the WNC as a channel for listening to women and informing ministerial priorities, although the available material does not specify the resulting policy programme.

  Source

• 2010

  Close the CommissionOther

  Background

  The WNC was reviewed as part of the UK Government's wider assessment of non-departmental public bodies.

  Action taken

  The government announced that the Commission would close on 31 December 2010.

  Aftermath

  The organisation became defunct, and a legacy document was published to record its work.

  Source

• 1990

  Relaunch as an advisory non-departmental public bodyStrategy

  Background

  A review in the late 1990s examined the Commission's structure and relationship with its partner organisations.

  Action taken

  The government removed the permanent co-chair position and the limit on affiliated partner organisations, while ending partners' formal management role. The Minister for Women became responsible for appointing the Chair and Commissioners.

  Aftermath

  The WNC adopted a more centrally appointed public-body model while retaining a representative remit toward the wider women's movement.

  Source

• 2010

  Government announces closure of the Women's National Commission[1]Women's National Commissionen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Commission was selected for closure as part of the UK Government's review of non-departmental public bodies and was scheduled to cease operations on 31 December 2010.

• 2007

  Women's National Commission given a renewed consultation role[1]Women's National Commissionen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Minister for Women Harriet Harman announced that the Commission would consult women about the issues and priorities she should address in her ministerial role.

1. 1Women's National Commissionen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Women's National Commission websitethewnc.org.uk
3. 3WNC Appoints Sarah Arnold to Vice President - Asset Managementprnewswire.com