Westbourne Communications

This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.

Westbourne Communications is a lobbying firm co-founded and run by James Bethell, the 5th Baron Bethell. It was sold to lobbying firm Cicero Consulting in June 2018, after which Bethell describes himself as 'senior counsel' to the firm.^[1]

Westbourne describes itself as a "small specialist agency that offers clients a fresh approach", placing strong emphasis on the need to change public opinion as a way of influencing decision-makers.

The traditional ways of conducting your communications are growing out of date. The economics of digital media have broken old monopolies on information. Scandals created suspicion about back-room decisions. Consumers expect choices.
At Westbourne, we believe that decision-makers will be influenced less by secretive lobbying and more by changing opinion about your issues. Headlines and contacts are important but, increasingly, not enough. Nowadays it might be just as important to mobilise public supporters. Or else giving a voice to relevant specialist groups – experts, officials, professionals, locals, parents.
That’s why you need a new combination of skills. Researching opinion. Presenting your case. Adapting to feedback. Direct communications, often over the internet. Mobilising support. Rebutting opposition.

Westbourne Comms, London, 17 Carlton House Terrace - on the same road as the Royal Academy of Engineering

Astroturfing

Fracking

'Students for shale'

This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project

In 2015 Westbourne were forced to deny they set up an 'astroturf' group in favour of fracking, to benefit their clients - Centrica and Cuadrilla. In June 2015, press releases, featured in the mainstream media, showed eight students holding a banner saying 'Students for Shale' on the steps of Lancashire Country Council, in anticipation of the councils' up and coming debate on whether to allow fracking in the area.

The Morning Star claimed that the pro-shale students have vested interests in fracking because they are studying geology and hoping to get jobs in the industry. One of the students also attends Blackpool and Fylde College, which was designated as the national training centre for the onshore gas sector in 2014. Centrica and Cuadrilla have 'supported' the college and fund the North West Energy Task Force, which is led by Westbourne.

Westbourne account director, Maurice Cousins, denied deliberately using Lancashire geology students to coerce positive public opinion of fracking. He said 'We are in no way misrepresenting how students regard fracking. I do not understand what the issue is. We are transparent and not misleading. The students are within their rights to their opinions'. The Morning Star contacted Blackpool and Fylde College, after which Cousins demanded that only he be contacted for information on the issue. Cousins also accused the newspaper of 'harassing' students and said they were 'students, not activists'.^[2]

'North West Energy Task Force'

Westbourne employed ex-ministerial environment special adviser Tom Evans until January 2015 to work with clients such as the North West Energy Task Force (NWETF), a ‘local’ lobby group set up by Centrica and Cuadrilla to push the business case for fracking in Lancashire. Analysis by Greenpeace in 2015 revealed however that less than half of NWETF’s members were based in the county, and included an elderly care home and a Welsh fishing resort.

Spinwatch highlights the benefits for lobbying firms such as Westbourne of employing former government advisers:

Emails released recently by Defra under freedom of information rules reveal that in May 2014 a Westbourne staffer wrote to Guy Robinson, who was at the time a special adviser to former environment secretary Owen Paterson (now Liz Truss), to request a meeting on ‘shale gas and farming’. The lobbyist, whose name is redacted but mentions NWETF is a client, was ‘working on a research paper exploring the potential benefits of shale gas developments to farmers’. He/she wanted ‘to discuss some of the findings’ over ‘some lunch or a brief coffee’ ahead of a launch event.

Within hours Robinson had replied, asking the lobbyist to set up a meeting with his diary office. Unfortunately we have no way of knowing whether they met – the emails don’t give any dates in the secretariat’s reply, or indicate if they arranged it by phone. Nor is it listed on Defra's most recent disclosed spads’ meetings dated 30 June 2014.

Guy Robinson, as it turns out, is an ex-lobbyist himself – he once worked for Crosby Textor, the UK-Australian lobbying outfit co-owned by David Cameron’s infamous election spin doctor Lynton Crosby.

Evans now works for a much bigger lobbying firm, Burson Marsteller (B-M), which handles the account of petrochemical giant and wannabe fracker Ineos. B-M used to employ Maria Allen, now special adviser to energy and climate minister Amber Rudd. ^[3]

For more about the special access to the UK government enjoyed by the fracking industry, see the Fracking lobbying firms and Fracking Spads pages on Powerbase.

Transport

In a report for Spinwatch by journalist Anna Minton, Westbourne were accused of astroturfing to spin a campaign for high-speed rail to intimidate local opposition, or in the words of Westbourne managing director James Bethell, 'shit them up'.^[2]^[4]

People

James Bethell - founder
Luke Johnson - chairman since June 2015
Simon Barrow - 'people director' since September 2012.
Maurice Cousins
Lucy James
Jennifer Powers
Duncan Sedgewick - energy practice chair, joined in 2012
Jacqui Smith, chair of public affairs practice, former Labour minister, joined 2015
Campbell Storey
Ashish Prashar - head of communications from 1 July 2013, previously head of media relations at Ipsos MORI

September 2016-November 2016

June 2016-August 2016

March 2016-May 2016

December 2015-February 2016

September 2015-November 2015

June 2015-August 2015

March 2015-May 2015

December 2014-February 2015

September 2014-November 2014

June 2014-August 2014

March 2014-May 2014

December 2013-February 2014

September 2013-November 2013

June 2013-August 2013

March 2013-May 2013

December 2012-February 2013

Infrastructure practice

Adrian Shooter, former chairman of Chiltern Railways, was made chairman of the practice in May 2012 ^[20]
Paul Chapman, former MD of High Speed 1, was also made associate partner in May 2012

Former staff

James Frayne was a partner at Westbourne until he left to join the Department for Education as Director of Communications in March 2011 ^[21]
James Wickett-Whyte, worked on the Yes to High Speed Rail campaign, no longer listed as Westbourne staff on the APPC register as of April 2013, now a consultant at Curtin & Co on the community consultation team ^[22] ^[23]
Harry Spencer - was an intern and researcher at Westbourne, is now an account executive at Edelman ^[24]
Emily Hamilton - head of press from April 2011 – July 2013. Now corporate communications manager at Bupa, held since August 2013.
Nicola Minford- worked as account executive and senior account executive between April 2012 and November 2013 - worked on the Campaign for High Speed Rail and Siemens accounts. Is now. Is now Public Affairs Officer at Thames Tideway Tunnel, November 2013-present.
Thomas Ricketts - former senior account executive from February 2012 to August 2013. Then appointed government affairs adviser and now media relations adviser at the British Bankers Association.
Duncan Menzies
Portia Swales - Associate development director between December 2012 and April 2014.
Dan Large - Campaign director for the Campaign for High-Speed Rail between May 2011 and January 2012. He was formerly top aide to Conservative MP Edward Timpson MP, first working with him on his high-profile Crewe & Nantwich by-election victory in 2008. ^[25] Then held roles as campaign director of Freedom To Marry UK (October 2012 – February 2013) and senior associate of Crest Advisory (June 2012 – January 2014). Is currently director of By&Large Campaign Strategy, August 2010 – Present.
Milly Doolan - Account manager, March 2013 was formerly business development manager since June 2012.^[26]

Clients

Registrar of consultant lobbyists

Westbourne Communications has been registered since January 2016. The register documents those clients for whom lobbying agencies have met with ministers, and Westbourne's 2015 listings are as follows:

January - March 2015

April - June 2015

July - September 2015

October - December 2015

LinkedIn Technology UK Ltd ^[27]

January - March 2016

No clients reported.

April - June 2016

No clients reported.

July 2016-September 2016

No clients reported.

APPC lobbying register

March 2018 - May 2018

Sept 2017 - Nov 2017

September 2016-November 2016

June 2016-August 2016

March 2016-May 2016

December 2015-February 2016

September 2015-November 2015

June 2015-August 2015

March 2015-May 2015

December 2014-February 2015

September 2014-November 2014

June 2014-August 2014

March 2014-May 2014

December 2013-February 2014

September 2013-November 2013

June 2013-August 2013

March 2013-May 2013

December 2012-February 2013

March - May 2012

50p Tax Campaign | Alliance for Affordable Solar Energy | Atkins Global | Birmingham Airport | Birmingham City Council | Campaign for High Speed Rail | Cheviot Asset Management Limited | Electralink Limited | First Group PLC | Ingeus UK | Legal & General | Policy Exchange - (The Wolfson Economics Prize) | Railway Industry Association | Siemens PLC | Stagecoach Group | Sydney & London Properties Ltd | Systra UK

Former clients

Westbourne's website displays the following companies' logos on its 'about Westbourne' page:

New Schools Network
Private Equity Foundation
Ministry of Sound nightclub - Westbourne founder James Bethell was previously MD of the club
TheCityUK
Bain Capital
Sino-Bridge
Abellio
Stagecoach Group
Network Rail
Deloitte
Yingli Solar
Cheviot Asset Management^[30]

Publications and pamphlets

Westbourne Communications, 'Know your campaigners: rethinking the way that organisations engage with campaigners', undated leaflet, written by Westbourne research Dominic Haldene

Affiliations

Nothing British - Westbourne's founder Bethell set up this campaign against the BNP, drawing upon support from powerful British military figures
Doctors for Reform - launched this campaign which represented 1000 medical practitioners backing government plans to overhaul the NHS and which was supported by Reform, the free-market thinktank that has received funding from private healthcare companies. ^[31]

Contact, Resources and Notes

Westbourne Comms Company was incorporated as a private limited company (No. 06936185) on 17 June 2009. Its registered address is 17 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH. Founder James Bethell is the sole company director. ^[32]

Contact

Address:17 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH

Email:jennifer.powers@westbournecoms.com

Website: www.changeopinion.com

Previously:

55 Tufton Street

London SW1P 3QL

Tel: 02033970100

Email: campbell.storey@westbournecoms.com

Resources

See: Fracking lobbying firms
See: Fracking Spads
Melissa Jones and Andy Rowell, Access all areas: Westminster's (vast) fracking lobby exposed, 29 April 2015.
Jamie Doward, High-speed rail opponents 'portrayed as posh nimbys' by Tory peer's lobbying firm: PR agency accused of scare tactics and invoking the class divide in a 'coldly calculated' campaign to push coalition's case for HS2 network The Observer (England), April 7, 2013, OBSERVER HOME NEWS PAGES; Pg. 3, 957 words.
Anna Minton, New report: Scaring the living daylights out of people, Spinwatch, 27 March 2013.
Anna Minton Anna Minton on Westbourne's response to Spinwatch local lobbying and planning abuses report, Spinwatch, 08 April 2013.

Notes

↑ James Bethell, Linkedin profile, accessed July 2018
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Lamiat Sabin and Solomon Hughes Shady shale lobbyists accused of setting up sham grassroots group supporting drilling Morning Star, 24 June 2015, accessed 25 June 2015.
↑ Melissa Jones and Andy Rowell, Access all areas: Westminster's (vast) fracking lobby exposed, 29 April 2015.
↑ Anna Minton Anna Minton on Westbourne's response to Spinwatch local lobbying and planning abuses report Spinwatch, 8 April 2013, accessed 25 June 2015.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Westbourne Communications Register, APPC, accessed 10 October 2016.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 Register for 1st March 2016 - 31st May 2016, APPC, accessed 24 November 2016.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 Communications Westbourne Communications staff, Register 1st December 2015-28th February 2016, APPC, accessed 8 April 2016
↑ Westbourne Communications staff, Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 3 February 2016
↑ Register 1st July 2015-August 2015APPC, accessed 28 September 2015
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 Register 1st March 2015-31st May 2015APPC, accessed 29 September 2015
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 Register 1st December 2014 - 28th February 2015 APPC, accessed 9 March 2015
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 16 January 2015
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014 APPC, accessed 17 October 2014
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 Register for 1st December 2013 - 28th February 2014 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 Register for 1st September 2013 - 30th November 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
↑ ^17.0 ^17.1 Register for 1st June 2013 - 31st August 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
↑ ^18.0 ^18.1 Register for 1st March 2013 - 31st May 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
↑ ^19.0 ^19.1 Register for 1st December 2012 - 28th February 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014
↑ Public Affairs: The Week in Lobbying, prweek.com, Friday, 18 May 2012, 12:00am, acc 7 April 2013
↑ Public Affair News, People Moves - March 2011 edition
↑ James Wickett-Whyte, LinkedIn profile, acc April 2013
↑ James Wickett-Whyte, Curtis & Co website, acc 8 April 2013
↑ Harry Spencer, LinkedIn, acc 8 April 2013
↑ Public Affair News, PEOPLE MOVES - September 2011 edition, 1 September 2011
↑ Milly Doolan Linkedin, accessed 16 January 2015
↑ Westbourne Communications profile 2015, Registrar of consultant lobbyists, accessed 5 February 2016
↑ Westbourne Communications clients, Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 2 February 2016
↑ Register 1st June-31st August 2015APPC.Org, accessed 28 September 2015
↑ About Westbourne, acc 8 April 2013
↑ Jamie Doward, [1], The Observer, Saturday 6 April 2013 22.35 BST, acc same day
↑ Companies House, Webcheck, acc 8 April 2013

[1] James Bethell, Linkedin profile, accessed July 2018

[SH-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Lamiat Sabin and Solomon Hughes Shady shale lobbyists accused of setting up sham grassroots group supporting drilling Morning Star, 24 June 2015, accessed 25 June 2015.

[3] Melissa Jones and Andy Rowell, Access all areas: Westminster's (vast) fracking lobby exposed, 29 April 2015.

[4] Anna Minton Anna Minton on Westbourne's response to Spinwatch local lobbying and planning abuses report Spinwatch, 8 April 2013, accessed 25 June 2015.

[Jun16-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Westbourne Communications Register, APPC, accessed 10 October 2016.

[Mar16-6] 6.0 ^6.1 Register for 1st March 2016 - 31st May 2016, APPC, accessed 24 November 2016.

[Dec15-7] 7.0 ^7.1 Communications Westbourne Communications staff, Register 1st December 2015-28th February 2016, APPC, accessed 8 April 2016

[8] Westbourne Communications staff, Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 3 February 2016

[March15-9] Register 1st July 2015-August 2015APPC, accessed 28 September 2015

[Mar15-10] 10.0 ^10.1 Register 1st March 2015-31st May 2015APPC, accessed 29 September 2015

[Dec14-11] 11.0 ^11.1 Register 1st December 2014 - 28th February 2015 APPC, accessed 9 March 2015

[sept-12] 12.0 ^12.1 Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 16 January 2015

[June-13] 13.0 ^13.1 Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014 APPC, accessed 17 October 2014

[MP-14] 14.0 ^14.1 Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014

[MR-15] 15.0 ^15.1 Register for 1st December 2013 - 28th February 2014 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014

[MS-16] 16.0 ^16.1 Register for 1st September 2013 - 30th November 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014

[MT-17] 17.0 ^17.1 Register for 1st June 2013 - 31st August 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014

[MU-18] 18.0 ^18.1 Register for 1st March 2013 - 31st May 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014

[MV-19] 19.0 ^19.1 Register for 1st December 2012 - 28th February 2013 APPC, accessed 1 October 2014

[Week-20] Public Affairs: The Week in Lobbying, prweek.com, Friday, 18 May 2012, 12:00am, acc 7 April 2013

[21] Public Affair News, People Moves - March 2011 edition

[22] James Wickett-Whyte, LinkedIn profile, acc April 2013

[23] James Wickett-Whyte, Curtis & Co website, acc 8 April 2013

[24] Harry Spencer, LinkedIn, acc 8 April 2013

[25] Public Affair News, PEOPLE MOVES - September 2011 edition, 1 September 2011

[26] Milly Doolan Linkedin, accessed 16 January 2015

[27] Westbourne Communications profile 2015, Registrar of consultant lobbyists, accessed 5 February 2016

[28] Westbourne Communications clients, Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 2 February 2016

[Jun2015-29] Register 1st June-31st August 2015APPC.Org, accessed 28 September 2015

[30] About Westbourne, acc 8 April 2013

[31] Jamie Doward, [1], The Observer, Saturday 6 April 2013 22.35 BST, acc same day

[32] Companies House, Webcheck, acc 8 April 2013

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Westbourne Communications

Contents

Astroturfing

Fracking

'Students for shale'

'North West Energy Task Force'

Transport

People

September 2016-November 2016

June 2016-August 2016

March 2016-May 2016

December 2015-February 2016

September 2015-November 2015

June 2015-August 2015

March 2015-May 2015

December 2014-February 2015

September 2014-November 2014

June 2014-August 2014

March 2014-May 2014

December 2013-February 2014

September 2013-November 2013

June 2013-August 2013

March 2013-May 2013

December 2012-February 2013

Infrastructure practice

Former staff

Clients

Registrar of consultant lobbyists

January - March 2015

April - June 2015

July - September 2015

October - December 2015

January - March 2016

April - June 2016

July 2016-September 2016

APPC lobbying register

March 2018 - May 2018

Sept 2017 - Nov 2017

September 2016-November 2016

June 2016-August 2016

March 2016-May 2016

December 2015-February 2016

September 2015-November 2015

June 2015-August 2015

March 2015-May 2015

December 2014-February 2015

September 2014-November 2014

June 2014-August 2014

March 2014-May 2014

December 2013-February 2014

September 2013-November 2013

June 2013-August 2013

March 2013-May 2013

December 2012-February 2013

March - May 2012

Former clients

Publications and pamphlets

Affiliations

Contact, Resources and Notes

Contact

Resources

Notes

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