APCO

B2L Public Affairs

Mandate

Open Road

Politics International

PPS

Whitehouse Consulting

The Chair thanked Connect for hosting this meeting.

 

Members approved the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2010. Matters arising that were not otherwise on the agenda were as follows:

 

Michael Burrell reported that the working group would be meeting on 20 April.The group would comprise Michael Burrell (Edelman) (chair), Martin Sawer (APCO), Chris West (Insight), Chris Whitehouse (Whitehouse Consulting) and Jonathan Williams (Political Intelligence). The Chair added that, as it was not yet formally constituted, the committee of young consultants had not felt it was appropriate to nominate a member.

 

            The Chair reported that Baymor Solutions had been admitted to membership, bringing the total membership to 61. Members of the Management Committee were working on a target list of about 12 prospective new members.

 

            John Rowlands reported that a group of young consultants had been appointed by members of the Management Committee to consider how APPC should engage with young consultants. The group had met several times, resulting in the report presented to the meeting, proposing the formation of a young consultants’ committee and its terms of reference, and suggesting a possible work programme for that committee, focusing on a contact programme and the development of APPC training. It was noted that the possible work programme had not been progressed pending the meeting’s decision on whether to form such a committee.

 

 

 

Gill Morris reported that there had been a number of meetings of the Implementation Team. An advert had been placed for an independent chair and two others, terms of reference were in place, a mock register had been developed and a comms group had been set up. The Team was currently working on a definition of lobbying and public affairs. Sir Philip Mawer and Mark Adams were working to bring these elements together into a prospectus. A preliminary announcement would be made before Easter, with a formal launch after Easter. An invitation to join would be issued to the Law Society and the NCVO.

 

Mark Adams reported that Sir Philip Mawer was due to meet Angela E Smith MP again the following week. Sir Philip was also trying to arrange a meeting with Tony Wright MP immediately before the announcement. He had also written to David Cameron in respect of his recent speech.

 

In answer to members’ questions, Mark Adams advised that:

·        In the first instance, there would not be a common Code of Conduct, so that members would continue to work to their own Code.

·        There would be a common Register but in a different format from APPC’s Register.

·        At present, PRCA was providing the secretariat pro bono, but that would probably change once the independent chair was in place.

 

Whilst this had gone quiet, Gill Morris pointed out that the issue was relevant to UKPAC in deciding what to register in accordance with the definition of lobbying and public affairs under development.

The Chair said that a letter would be circulated shortly to all members, inviting nominations for election to the Management Committee at the AGM on 10 May. He reported that he would not be taking the opportunity of moving to become Deputy Chair, and so there would also be an election for a Chair and Deputy Chair.

 

 

In view of high demand for the March seminar, a further seminar would be held on 7 April.

 

            The Chair said that a small working group of the Management Committee had reviewed the Code and referred some proposed changes to the Compliance Officers at their meeting on 13 April. This would be discussed again at the Management Committee’s Strategy Meeting on 5 July.

 

10 May 2010 (immediately following the AGM at 5.30pm) at College Public Policy

19 July, 13 September, 6 December