Who Does The Countryside Alliance Support?

Shares:

Yet more double standards are apparent in the CA’s investments. It has more than £40 000 worth of shares in Barclays bank, which caused a storm last year by closing 171 rural branches[48]. On one hand the Alliance is campaigning against these moves, whilst on the other, financially supporting them. Likewise, it holds £30 000 worth of investments in Shell[49], whilst backing last years’ oil protests and simultaneously claiming to care about the environment, and also holds large investments in super-polluter ICI and ethically-challenged mining company Rio Tinto, not to mention arms and tobacco companies[50].

PR and lobbying company PPS Group Ltd

The Countryside Alliance’s choice of PR and lobbying company is particularly noteworthy. Political Planning Services Ltd. may not be big, but it carries disproportionate weight, consisting of individuals who have worked closely with politicians in the past. Again, a great conflict of interest is present in the Countryside Alliance’s support for this company, since it specializes in trying to get through controversial planning applications. Its newly-revamped web page boasts: "PPS is proud to have worked with the biggest names in the property sector. Whether it's a residential development on a Green Belt site or a mixed use scheme in a city centre, PPS works with the planning consultant and the rest of the team to get approval."[51]

Past clients include McDonalds, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, not noted for their ecological thinking, nor for their equitable treatment of farmers, nor for their contribution to healthy local economies[52]. Through its support of PPS, the Countryside Alliance supports abuse of the planning system, whereby those who have money pay for lobbyists to get them round the planning laws, and cover the countryside with community-killing sprawl, whilst those who do not have difficulty getting permission to build themselves a single home and also bear the brunt of increased traffic, community decay and increasingly mind-numbing jobs. Likewise, being a specialist in controversial planning applications, PPS has over 20 home-building, construction and quarrying companies on its client list[53], and the Countryside Alliance supports this through it at the same time as expressing concern about the destruction of the countryside. Lastly, concerning PPS, it is worth noting that Mark Pendlington, former managing director at PPS Group, is now Chief Executive of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), bringing out yet more cosy links between landowners, big business and manipulation of government[54].

References
[48] "Fury Over Rural Lobby’s Shares" The Observer, 29th April 2001
[49] Ibid.
[50] Ibid.
[51] www.ppsgroup.co.uk
[52] The bulk of the client list has been removed from the new website but a printed copy of the old site, also at www.ppsgroup.co.uk, is held by Corporate Watch
[53] Ibid.
[54] "New Chief Executive Announced For CLA", CLA Press Release, 23rd January 2001 http://194.200.85.11/sources/27/171/4015965/01009HQ.htm