Holyrood Strategy Scotland
Holyrood Strategy Scotland was a lobbying firm set up in 1998 to try to take advantage of the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. The company did not survive the first blush of lobbying growth in Scotland and was dissolved on 11 January 2006.[1]
Background
From news reports in 1998:
- Holyrood Strategy was launched with aplomb at Edinburgh's New Club earlier this month by the venerable Lord Fraser of Carmyllie. Unfortunately, it had already lost one director and risks losing another from its complement of four. Michael Kelly, the erstwhile chief executive and former Lord Provost of Glasgow, said cryptically: "It was pencilled in that I was a director, but I wasn't actually a director." Anyway, Mr Kelly (alias Miles Better from his time as Lord Provost) abandoned ship because of the "perceived conflict of interest" between a lobby job and an ambition to be a member of the Scottish parliament. Mark Whittet, another director of Holyrood Strategy and a press officer at British Energy, is thought to have been contemplating a similar move, though neither he nor Holyrood Strategy nor his present employer would comment.[2]
- The agency's other directors are Lord Fraser, the Conservative Party's deputy leader in the House of Lords, Charles Brodie, a Liberal Democrat councillor and director of software company Twinsoft, and Mark Whittet, executive director of news events planner MacNews, which will be integrated within Holyrood Strategy. The agency does not have any clients as yet.[3]
FoI consultation response
- Holyrood Strategy asked for the public and diary engagements of Scottish Ministers to be published each week listing in advance the schedule of forthcoming meetings.[4]
People
- Charles Brodie
- Julia Clarke
- William Drummond, Writer to the Signet
- Peter Fraser
- James Sempill
- Mark Whittet Director from 29 May 2000[5] until 25 September 2000[6]
- Michael Kelly, former Chief Executive, resigned shortly after launch in 1998 [7]
Location
- 15 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 8HA - the same address as Brodies WS which acted as the contact address[8]
Notes
- ↑ Companies House, Dissolved SC187715 Holyrood Strategy (Scotland) Limited, 11 January 2006
- ↑ The Scotsman July 25, 1998, Saturday BUSINESS DIARY BYLINE: Louise Nevill SECTION: Pg. 25
- ↑ PR Week BYLINE: By SOPHIE BARKER July 17, 1998
- ↑ Scottish Executive SUMMARY OF RESPONSES TO THE CONSULTATION PAPER "AN OPEN SCOTLAND: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION, A CONSULTATION"
- ↑ 288a Appointment of director or secretary, SC187715 Holyrood Strategy (Scotland) Limited, dated 29 May 2000
- ↑ 288b Terminating appointment as director or secretary, SC187715 Holyrood Strategy (Scotland) Limited, dated 5 November 2001
- ↑ Kelly quits lobbying for a political career by SOPHIE BARKER PR Week UK 17-Jul-98
- ↑ 363 Annual Return Holyurood Strategy (Scotland) Limited, SC187715, to 16 July 2000
