Update on Scotland’s Futures Forum

Following a review, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has formally agreed to dissolve Scotland’s Futures Forum as a limited company and establish a new futures thinking service within the Scottish Parliament.

This decision is about strengthening futures thinking within Parliament, not removing it.

Scotland’s Futures Forum was established to help the Scottish Parliament think beyond the electoral cycle and engage with Scotland’s long-term challenges and opportunities. As the Forum approached its twentieth year, and as the context in which Parliament operates changed, the SPCB commissioned a review to assess how Parliament’s need for futures thinking had evolved and how that capability could be most effectively delivered in future.

The review confirmed that futures thinking in a parliamentary context is vital. The decision to dissolve the company is therefore a structural one, aimed at strengthening and sustaining this capability by embedding it more directly into parliamentary work.

Over the coming period, a new internal service will be established within the Scottish Parliament to build on the Forum’s legacy and continue this work in a form designed to maximise access, relevance and impact. The involvement of external contributors will remain central to this work, as it has been throughout the Futures Forum’s history.

For many people, Scotland’s Futures Forum has been more than an organisation. It has been a space for curiosity, challenge and long-term thinking across boundaries. That spirit will continue to matter as Parliament develops the next phase of this work, and we are grateful to everyone who has contributed ideas, time and energy over the years.

We will share updates as this work develops, and we hope you will continue to stay part of the conversation as futures thinking within Parliament evolves.

For enquiries, please contact:
ScotlandsFuturesForum@parliament.scot