PPS - dirty tricks - planning permission -Story that disappeared

This story has vanished from the daily mail website and also This is Money. But is still in Gulf Times!!

Revealed: dirty tricks used to win planning permission for controversial development The lobbying company PPS is accused of using forgery, impersonation and even bugging to manipulate the planning process for some of London's most controversial developments. It is employed by most of Britain's leading housebuilders, including a division of Berkeley Homes, and many big retailers such as Sainsbury's. PPS has compiled secret dossiers on councillors which contain highly personal information and information obtained under false pretences. It has allegedly obtained clandestine tape-recordings and verbatim transcripts of councillors' discussions in private meetings. PPS is suspected of infiltrating local residents' groups which fight developers.

Damning internal company documents leaked to the Mail's sister newspaper The Evening Standard and Channel 4's Dispatches programme show PPS discussing whether it could "bribe" or "bully" a London borough council. The documents boast that PPS has "created a large number" of "positive letters" to councillors, purportedly from residents, to give the impression that there is widespread local support for a variety of unpopular projects including "power stations, quarries and supermarkets".

PPS’s clients include Barratt, Wimpey, Taylor Woodrow, Hanson Quarries, B&Q and Ikea

What PPS say about themselves -

"One of the most geographically diverse consultancies with five UK offices (London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol), the PPS Group have over a hundred clients between them. The company is particularly strong in the house-building industry, as well as servicing a number of smaller, local organisations."

"Vocal minorities can be very effective in influencing politicians, but do not represent the wider community. Mobilising the ‘silent’ majority can be extremely difficult. Since 1990, PPS has been securing demonstrable support for planning applications from those that might not normally bother to express their views."

Now then.. PPS rang a bell from research I was doing recently. Yes -Cathy Owens a former lobbyist was described as Rhodri Morgan's answer to Alastair Campbell. Cathy Owens, who left to join Amnesty International after a tempestuous three years during which relations between the Assembly Government and some elements of the media reached an all-time low. At one point the Assembly Government apologised to the civil service union Prospect over Ms Owens's allegedly hectoring manner towards some of its members. Previously she worked as a public affairs consultant in Wales, yes? PPS. Some quotes from Cathy -"It's for elected politicians to agree the way forward for public policy in Wales. We are talking about a situation where English speakers have rights too. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas but no one voted for the Language Board either." "All journalists are bastards" ...in a mistaken call to Martin Shipton's voice mail. Yes, that's right, only the chief reporter of the Western Mail!

2003 Ms Owens worked for Rhondda Labour AM Leighton Andrews as a research assistant. She also worked for a public affairs company run by Mr Andrews, as did the Assembly's economic development and transport minister Andrew Davies – The smart company? Subsequently Ms Owens worked for the lobbying company PPS Cymru, as the Associate Director.

- Leighton Andrews. Is this true ? Extracts taken from http://liberalengland.blogspot.com/2004/12/latent-andrews-am.html
..was a prominent Liberal activist for many years. In the late 70's early 80's he was a Liberal member of the NUS Executive. In 1987 he was a Liberal Alliance candidate in Gillingham. After many years in the wilderness, Leighton eventually resurfaced in New Labour Party, winning Rhondda back from Plaid Cymru in 2003. Michael Meadowcroft, a former Liberal MP, described him as moving "from Liberal thinker to cheerleader for Blair's authoritarians".

Finally I recall a comment by Dizzy thinks (asbo)"Hazel Blears' on the 24th July this year registered a personal donation from Lorian Properties Ltd, Lancashire. What a stroke of luck it was for Lorian that Hazel Blears was reshuffled to be Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and effectively put in charge of the Government's new house building plans"

Ones faith in the planning process is sorely challenged.

This is an interesting article from Coporate Watch - PR and lobbying company PPS Group Ltd

Political Planning Services Ltd. may not be big, but it carries disproportionate weight, consisting of individuals who have worked closely with politicians in the past. Again, a great conflict of interest is present in the Countryside Alliance’s support for this company, since it specializes in trying to get through controversial planning applications. Its newly-revamped web page boasts: "PPS is proud to have worked with the biggest names in the property sector. Whether it's a residential development on a Green Belt site or a mixed use scheme in a city centre, PPS works with the planning consultant and the rest of the team to get approval."[51]

Past clients include McDonalds, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, not noted for their ecological thinking, nor for their equitable treatment of farmers, nor for their contribution to healthy local economies[52]. Through its support of PPS, the Countryside Alliance supports abuse of the planning system, whereby those who have money pay for lobbyists to get them round the planning laws, and cover the countryside with community-killing sprawl, whilst those who do not have difficulty getting permission to build themselves a single home and also bear the brunt of increased traffic, community decay and increasingly mind-numbing jobs. Likewise, being a specialist in controversial planning applications, PPS has over 20 home-building, construction and quarrying companies on its client list[53], and the Countryside Alliance supports this through it at the same time as expressing concern about the destruction of the countryside. Lastly, concerning PPS, it is worth noting that Mark Pendlington, former managing director at PPS Group, is now Chief Executive of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), bringing out yet more cosy links between landowners, big business and manipulation of government[54].
References[48] "Fury Over Rural Lobby’s Shares" The Observer, 29th April 2001 [49] Ibid. [50] Ibid. [51] www.ppsgroup.co.uk [52] The bulk of the client list has been removed from the new website but a printed copy of the old site, also at www.ppsgroup.co.uk, is held by Corporate Watch [53] Ibid. [54] "New Chief Executive Announced For CLA", CLA Press Release, 23rd January 2001 http://194.200.85.11/sources/27/171/4015965/01009HQ.htm