APCO                                                 Martin Sawer

Citigate Dewe Rogerson                  Mick Halloran

Cogitamus                                          Paul Beckford

College Public Policy                        Robbie MacDuff

Connect                                              Gill Morris

Edelman                                             Peter Bellini

Edelman                                             Michael Burrell

Edelman                                             Anthony Marlowe

Edelman                                             Chris Rumfitt

Fishburn Hedges                               Rory Scanlan

Fleishman-Hillard                              Nick Williams

Gardant Communications                Joel Feyerherm

Grayling                                              Richard Jukes

Green Issues Communiqué             Gabriel Abulafia

Helen Johnson Consulting                Helen Johnson

MHP Communications                      Gavin Devine

Tetra Strategy                                     Charlotte Collins

Westbourne Communications          James Bethell

APPC                                                  Mary Shearer (Secretary)

 

Illiam Costain McCade

Lexington Communications

Positif Politics

PPS

Whitehouse Consultancy

Members approved the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2011 . There were no matters arising and not elsewhere on the agenda.

 

The Chair referred to the annual report circulated before the meeting and highlighted the

major points. 

 

The clear priority for the year had been UKPAC. However imperfect the UKPAC register

published in March 2010, it had to be remembered that, for the first time, there was in

place a register capturing the members of APPC, PRCA and CIPR GAG, which was

significant progress since the 2010 AGM. Without UKPAC, the only option for a statutory

register would be one developed by government. For the year ahead, APPC would need

to engage directly with government and also make further efforts to expand the scope of

the UKPAC register towards achieving universality.

The success story of the last 12 months had been the setting up of the Young Consultants’

Committee. The members had done a great deal of work with impressive enthusiasm

particularly membership surveys, networking and developing the format of the APPC

training sessions.

The Chair took questions from members, which focused on UKPAC.

 

The Chair reported that two members had joined recently, namely TLG Communications

and Westbourne Communications. The Management Committee had also accepted one

other application, subject to interview and confirmation.   There were now 64 members and

Gill Morris reported that the government’s consultation document on a statutory register was still expected shortly. It was thought that the Cabinet Office did not have an alternative model to the UKPAC register and were experiencing problems defining what should be registered. There were many definitions and APPC should develop its own position, with the priority that a statutory register should not include only multi-client agencies. Robbie MacDuff said that, whilst it was important that UKPAC should continue liaison with the Cabinet Office, that should not preclude APPC from making its own response to the consultation document as it was likely to have a different view from UKPAC or its other members.

As regards expanding membership, the Chair said that UKPAC had met a range of organisations, such as NCVO, the Law Society and the Management Consultants’

Association, but had had to concentrate on the register, IT and admin issues. The various organisations had been reluctant to engage initially but were showing more interest with the prospect of a statutory register, although they could now be working instead towards limiting that register to multi-client agencies.

The question was raised as to whether the government would in fact go ahead with a statutory register in view of the latest deregulation initiative. APPC would then have to re consider its position on UKPAC and whether it would lobby for a statutory register to achieve universality.

Gill Morris also reported that, together with Nicholas Lansman, she had attended a meeting of the newly-formed UKPAC website review group, which had made a number of recommendations for consideration by the UKPAC board at its next meeting on 18 May. The outcomes would be discussed by the Management Committee at its June meeting.

 

 

 

 

The Chair advised that the next Code of Conduct training session would be held on 29 June. She emphasised that the training was not just for young consultants, but for all

consultants new to working within the APPC Code, specifically former MPs who joined member firms after last year’s general election.

The April session had been the first one in the new format devised by the YCC, with breakout sessions, and the format would be further refined by 29 June, including an earlier

start time.

 

The Chair reminded members that the next Register would be as at 31 May, as well as the annual Code compliance process. She said that there seemed to have been a recent increase in members asking to amend or update Register entries already submitted and she made a plea for members to be diligent in preparing their entries and submitting them on time.

 

The Chair of APPC(S) had reported that all was quiet in the wake of the previous week’s election to the Scottish Parliament. APPC(S) were planning a Code training session

 shortly, and all members would be advised of the date as Edinburgh might be easier for consultants based outside London.

Monday 18 July 2011 at 5.30pm at APCO