Pagoda Public Relations

Pagoda is a PR company rund by the former head of the Institute of Public Relations, Scotland Ian Coldwell.

It ran into controversy in a conflict of interest case. The Scotsman reported:

AN ARGUMENT over a lucrative contract involving some of Scotland’s highest-profile PR firms has landed on the desk of Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm. It follows Edinburgh City Council’s decision to award a £250,000 deal to work on the Edinburgh housing stock transfer programme to Pagoda PR, based in Edinburgh.

Pagoda - chaired by former Tory minister Sir Michael Hirst and with former Edinburgh Council leader Keith Geddes as policy director - won a four-way pitch for the prestigious contract. However, concerns have been raised when it was revealed that Pagoda also listed Communities Scotland, the stock transfer regulator, as one of their clients...

Pagoda has already undertaken a number of consultation programmes on housing stock transfer programmes throughout Scotland. The firm has worked with Scottish Borders Council from the initial tenant consultation through to a successful ballot in favour of transfer providing advice on public consultation, focusing on tenants and other stakeholders such as housing staff, voluntary agencies, elected members, community organisations and the wider public.

Pagoda worked with the Highland Council on 52 public meetings and roadshows to consult tenants on the options for future ownership and management of council housing, and the firm is now working with Inverclyde and Aberdeen City on a similar consultation and communication exercise.

Ian Coldwell, managing director of Pagoda, says he is awaiting confirmation from Edinburgh Council to confirm the housing transfer account was theirs. He says they no longer work directly for Communities Scotland: "We carried out a short internal communications audit for Communities Scotland a year ago and are no longer retained by them. We do not see why this is in any way relevant. "We are extremely pleased to have won the Edinburgh tender. It is the latest of a number of communication contracts we have won against Beattie in recent months. We believe we have a very strong public sector offering and are disappointed that Beattie should choose to respond in this way." A spokesperson for Communities Scotland confirms that Pagoda worked for them in 2003 on an internal communication project for their staff.

Clients

List from Pagoda website (12 November 2005)

Clients we are currently conducting projects for

*Applecross Properties Ltd

*Bett Homes

*Borders College

*Boyack Homes

*City of Edinburgh Council

*Contact a Family

*Crawford JS

*Crown Castle

*Cultenhove and Cornton Regeneration Programme

*Dow Investments

*Durnien.com

*East Lothian Council

*easyJet

*EDI Group

*Fife Council

*George Wimpey City Ltd

*Healing Through Remembering

*Hi-Fli Flags and Banners

*Homes for Scotland

*Inverclyde Council

*Job Centre Plus

*Kirkintilloch Initiative

*Lennoxtown Initiative

*London 2012

*National Library of Scotland

*NIPPA - the early years organization

*Northern Ireland Office (DCAL)

*Novo Nordisk

*Rocela

*Roche Diagnostics Ltd

*Scottish Arts Council

*Scottish Water

*Shetland NHS Board

*Stirling Council

*Sure Start

*The Crown Estate

*The Eaga Partnership

*The Highland Council

*William Grant & Sons

Clients we have recently concluded projects for

Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Marine Harvest

New Ingliston Limited

Optos Plc

Partners

Royal College of Nursing

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Student Loans Company

TI Solutions

Transco

Zenomap

Spinwatch resources

[Accuses rival of conflict of interest] PR Week, 9 February 2005.

External links

Pagoda PR website [1]

SHARON WARD 'Fighting still rages on the homes front' The Scotsman Thu 3 Feb 2005.