 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(October 2020) |
| Industry | Public relations |
|---|---|
| Founder | James Bethell, 5th Baron Bethell |
| Parent | Cicero Communications (from 2018) |
Westbourne Communications is a public relations firm founded by James Bethell, 5th Baron Bethell.
In June of 2018, the company was sold to Cicero Communications. [1]
Westbourne was involved in creating Campaign for High Speed Rail, a group promoting the HS2 transit line in London, whose spokesperson was Lucy James, a Westbourne employee. Westbourne organized a conference in 2011, it was attended by Transport secretary Philip Hammond, at which rail companies were asked to contribute £10,000 each to the launch of the campaign. Westbourne chose not to emphasize the government's position that the project would speed transit times, instead seeking to redefine opposition for the £33 billion project in terms of "posh nimbys" in the Chilterns worried about hunting rights. Posters for the campaign asked people to choose between "their lawns or our jobs". The company toured northern working-class cities by bus, working with politicians and celebrities to promote the project. The efforts were praised by transport minister Simon Burns, and Lord Adonis. [2] [3]
The tactics were denounced by opposing group Spinwatch as "astroturfing", and cited as a case of the "triumph of vested interests and the power of their lobbying companies". Tactics described as "keeping a lid on protests" in a campaign involved a confrontational approach against the "insurgency tactics" of online campaigners. VICE quoted Bethell: "You've got to fight them on every street corner... You can't just sit and watch your opponents run around doing what they like. You’ve got to get out into the bush, using their tactics and being in their face." In comments made at a conference with U.S. high speed rail advocates in 2012, Westbourne had advised lobbyists to "pick off" opponents with "sniper-scope accuracy" and "shut them up" with aggressive rebuttal campaigns, which Bethell called an "exhausting but crucial" part of successful lobbying. [2] [3]
The role of the government in spending public money on the lobbying was criticized, with Westbourne receiving over £80,000 from HS2 Ltd, with an additional £84,480 spent for two Westbourne staff working on secondment to HS2 Ltd, and a further £24,000 paid to the firm by the Department for Transport. Another firm, Tomboy Films, was paid £86,000 to create two informational videos supporting the project. [4]
The company also conducted a "Nothing British" PR campaign against the British National Party, enlisting military figures to promote their cause, and launched "Doctors for Reform", organizing 1000 doctors to call for changes to the National Health Service. [2] "Nothing British" is described as "a viral video campaign led by Westbourne Communications and hosted by The Sun to counter the rise of the BNP following their success in the 2009 European Parliamentary elections." It is described in a video featuring Simon Weston, one of four people profiled, as "a campaign against racism and extremism". [5]
To aid HM Treasury aim of delivering at least £25 billion of investment in UK infrastructure [6] Westbourne infrastructure practice sourced, structured, and negotiated on behalf of Legal & General's British infrastructure £15 billion vehicle [7] direct investments into the UK. The unique combination of political and financial expertise in the infrastructure investment space pioneered new financial structures leading the adoption of Private Finance 2 (PF2) type vehicles.
The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest railway system in history. The first locomotive-hauled public railway opened in 1825, which was followed by an era of rapid expansion. Most of the track is managed by Network Rail, which in 2017 had a network of 15,811 kilometres (9,824 mi) of standard-gauge lines, of which 5,374 kilometres (3,339 mi) were electrified. These lines range from single to quadruple track or more. In addition, some cities have separate metro, light rail and tram systems. There are also many private railways, which are primarily short lines for tourists. The main rail network is connected with that of continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel and High Speed 1, which fully opened in 1994 and 2007 respectively.
NIMBY, an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard", is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed developments in their local area, as well as support for strict land use regulations. It carries the connotation that such residents are only opposing the development because it is close to them and that they would tolerate or support it if it were built farther away. The residents are often called nimbys, and their viewpoint is called nimbyism. The opposite movement is known as YIMBY for "yes in my back yard".
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England has a dense and modern transportation infrastructure. The Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the transport network in England. The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible to Parliament for the Department for Transport.
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James Nicholas Bethell, 5th Baron Bethell is a British hereditary peer and Conservative politician in the House of Lords.
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The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands or more simply, the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), is a United Kingdom government proposal published on 18 November 2021. It aims to deliver "increased capacity, faster journeys or more frequent services on eight out of the top ten busiest rail corridors across the North and Midlands", by developing rail services along with the required infrastructure in these regions of England. It was published by the Department for Transport (DfT) and features forewords by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, but its publication was delayed a number of times, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains the significant proviso that "In line with the Government's existing approach to rail enhancements, commitments will be made only to progress individual schemes up to the next stage of development, subject to a review of their readiness." A Technical Annexe was published in January 2022. A correction slip was issued March 2022.