Association of Professional Political Consultants
Back to Lobbying Portal <youtube size="medium" align="right" caption="Robbie MacDuff, then chair of the APPC, speaks in Manchester September 2008">fdAVP1Q3JO8</youtube>The Association of Professional Political Consultants is a lobby group for the lobbying profession. Its main function is to prevent openness and transparency by attempting to ensure that statutory regulation is not introduced in the UK. To this end, APPC worked alongside the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and Public Relations Consultations Association in the formation of an umbrella organisation to promote self-regulation in the industry: the UK Public Affairs Council, launched in July 2010.
APPC has a Scottish branch - APPC Scotland.
Contents
People
Management Committee August 2010
- Robbie MacDuff - Precise Public Affairs
- Warwick Smith - College Public Policy
- Gill Morris - Connect Public Affairs
- David Bertram - EUK Consulting
- Rory Scanlan - Fishburn Hedges
- Nick Williams - Fleishman-Hillard
- Michael Burrell - Edelman
- Gavin Devine (Deputy Chair) - Mandate Communications
- Helen Johnson (Chairman) - Helen Johnson Consulting Ltd
- Rory O'Neill - Gardant Communications
- Ross Laird (Chair of APPCS) - Grayling Scotland
- Darren Caplan - B2L Public Affairs
- Gidon Freeman - Lexington Communications
- James O'Keefe - Tetra Strategy
- Iain Anderson - Cicero Consulting
Management Committee October 2009
- Robbie MacDuff (Chairman) - Precise Public Affairs
- Gill Morris - Connect Public Affairs
- Mark Adams - Foresight Communications
- Lucy Burns - Fishburn Hedges
- Michael Burrell - Edelman
- Gavin Devine - Mandate Communications
- Helen Johnson - Helen Johnson Consulting Ltd
- Ross Laird (Chair of APPC Scotland) - Grayling Scotland
- Warwick Smith - College Public Policy
- John Stafford-Mills - PPS Group
- Darren Caplan - B2L Public Affairs
- Gidon Freeman - Lexington Communications
- Martin LeJeune - The Open Road Consultancy
Management Committee January 2007
- Gill Morris (Chairman) - Connect Public Affairs
- Mark Adams - Foresight Communications
- Lucy Burns - Fishburn Hedges
- Michael Burrell - Edelman
- Gavin Devine - AS Biss & Co
- Helen Johnson - Helen Johnson Consulting Ltd
- Robbie MacDuff - Precise Public Affairs
- Jo Nove (Chair of APPC Scotland) - Greenhaus Public Communication
- Warwick Smith - College Public Affairs
Membership register
Member organisations in August 2010 (63 in total):[1]
Advocate Policy & Public Affairs | APCO Worldwide Limited | Atherton Associates | B2L Public Affairs | Baymor Solutions | Bellenden Public Affairs | Blue Rubicon | Burson Marsteller | Butler Kelly Ltd | Cavendish Communications | Chambre Public Affairs | Champollion | Cherton Enterprise | Cicero Consulting | Citigate Dewe Rogerson | Cogitamus | College Public Policy | Communique | Connect Public Affairs | DJH Associates | EPPA (UK) | Edelman | EUK Consulting Ltd | Euro RSCG Apex | Fishburn Hedges | Fleishman-Hillard | Foresight Consulting | Four Communications | Freshwater Public Affairs | Gardant | Grayling Political Strategy | Green Issues | Greenhaus Communications | Hanover Communications | Heathcroft Communications | Helen Johnson Public Affairs | Hill & Knowlton | Illiam Costain McCade | Insight Public Affairs | Interel Consulting UK (formerly Political International) | JMC Partners LLP | Lansons PA | Lexington Communications | Luther Pendragon | Mandate Communications | Munro & Forster | New Consensus Communications | Open Road | PLMR | Political Developments | Political Intelligence | Politics Direct | Portland | Positif Politics | PPS Group | Precise Public Affairs | Quiller Consultants | Rosemary Grogan | Sovereign Strategy | Stratagem - NI | Tetra Strategy | Weber Shandwick Public Affairs | The Whitehouse Consultancy
Member organisations in 2009:[2]
Advocate Policy & Public Affairs | APCO Worldwide Limited | Atherton Associates | B2L Public Affairs | Bellenden Public Affairs | Blue Rubicon | Burson Marsteller | Butler Kelly Ltd | Cavendish Communications | Chambre Public Affairs | Champollion | Cherton Enterprise | Cicero Consulting | Citigate Dewe Rogerson | Cogitamus | College Public Policy | Communique | Connect Public Affairs | DJH Associates | EPPA (UK) | Edelman | EUK Consulting Ltd | Euro RSCG Apex | FD Public Affairs | Fishburn Hedges | Fleishman-Hillard | Foresight Consulting | Four Communications | Gardant | Grayling Political Strategy | Green Issues | Greenhaus Communications | Hanover Communications | Helen Johnson Public Affairs | Hill & Knowlton | Illiam Costain McCade | Insight Public Affairs | JMC Partners LLP | Lansons PA | Lexington Communications | Mandate Communications | Munro & Forster | New Consensus Communications | Open Road | PLMR | Political Developments | Political Intelligence | Politics Direct | Politics International | Portland | Positif Politics | PPS Group | Precise Public Affairs | Quintus Public Affairs Ltd | Sovereign Strategy | Stratagem - NI | Tetra Strategy | The Waterfront Partnership | Weber Shandwick Public Affairs | The Whitehouse Consultancy
Member organisations in December 2006:
Advocate Policy & Public Affairs | APCO UK | AS Biss & Co | Burson Marsteller | Chambre Public Affairs | Cherton Enterprise | Cicero Consulting | Citigate Public Affairs | College Public Policy | Connect Public Affairs | Consolidated | DJH Associates | EPPA (UK) | Edelman | EUK Consulting Ltd | Fishburn Hedges | Fleishman-Hillard | Foresight Communications | Four Communications | Outlook Public Affairs Ltd | Grayling Political Strategy | Greenhaus Communications | Helen Johnson Public Affairs | Hill & Knowlton | Lansons PA | LLM Communications | Lexington Communications | Morgan Allen Moore | Precise Public Affairs | The Policy Partnership | PPS Group | Politics International | Portland | Quintus Public Affairs Ltd | Stratagem - NI | The Waterfront Partnership | Weber Shandwick Public Affairs | The Whitehouse Consultancy
Role in the UK Public Affairs Council
The APPC was subject to criticism from within the public affairs industry for failing to provide a centrally co-ordinated response to reputational damage during the March 2010 Sunday Times/Dispatches exposé on lobbying under Labour. Peter Bingle, Chairman of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs remarked:
- Those of us in the public affairs industry need to go on to the front foot and remind politicians, journalists and our critics that what we do is fundamental to the health of the body politic ... Where has the APPC (Association of Professional Political Consultants) been? Perhaps I missed it.
APPC Chair Robbie MacDuff responded emphasising that the role of the APPC was one of "a self-regulatory body, not a representative body"; adding that should plans for a public affairs council be realised, then this could be called upon to speak on behalf on the industry.[3]
In an attempt to subvert calls for a statutory register of lobbyists in the UK, the APPC joined forces with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) to establish an umbrella organisation aimed to promote the continued self-regulation of lobbying in the UK. The UK Public Affairs Council (UKPAC) was launched in July 2010 amid pledges by the new Coalition Government to introduce a statutory register of lobbyists in the wake of the 'Politicians for Hire' scandal. Although the Conservatives had initially expressed support for self-regulation, the establishment of a statutory register became one of the concessions to Liberal Democrat policy espoused in the Coalition agreements.[4]
Contact, Resources, Notes
Contact
Address: APPC Secretary
Association of Professional Political Consultants
The Registry
Royal Mint Court
London EC3N 4QN
Website:http://www.appc.org.uk/
Resources
APPC Registers
- APPC Register June 2001-November 2001
- APPC Register December 2001-May 2002
- APPC Register June 2002-November 2002
- APPC Register December 2002-May 2003
- APPC Register June 2003-November 2003
- APPC Register December 2003-May 2004
- APPC Register June 2004-November 2004
- APPC Register December 2004-May 2005
- APPC Register June 2005-November 2005
- December 2005-May 2006 missing
- APPC Register June 2006 - Aug 2006
- APPC Register Sept 2006 - Nov 2006
- APPC Register Dec 2006 - Feb 2007
- APPC Register Mar 2007 - May 2007
- APPC Register June 2007 - Aug 2007
- APPC Register Sept 2007 - Nov 2007
- APPC Register Dec 2007 - Feb 2008
- APPC Register Mar 2008 - May2008
- APPC Register June 2008 - Aug 2008
- APPC Register Sept 2008 - Nov 2008
- APPC Register Dec 2008 - Feb 2009
- APPC Register Mar 2009 - May 2009
- APPC Register June 2009 - Aug 2009
- APPC Register September 2009 - November 2009
- APPC Register December 2009 - February 2010
- APPC Register March 2010 - May 2010
Notes
- ↑ APPC, "Membership", APPC website, accessed 26 August 2010.
- ↑ APPC, "About us", APPC website, accessed 6 October 2009.
- ↑ David Singleton, "Lobbyists in frantic bid to save industry reputation", PR Week UK, 26.03.10
- ↑ Ian Hall, "Majority of lobbyists now favour statutory register, industry poll reveals", Public Affairs News, 02.06.10, accessed 25.08.10