Over many years Owl has tried to draw attention to various un-elected, unaccountable groups, usually initiated by developers, who have positioned themselves to speak on our behalf. The Great South West, the latest, does now have council leaders on its board but their/our plans seem to be developed in secrecy.

How much of this do YOU know and is common knowledge? – owl

According to reports in The Times:

“A client of the lobbying firm that employs Angela Rayner’s partner secured two meetings with ministers in her department this year, according to disclosures.

Transparency returns showed that Great South West, a group of councils and business partnerships, met the housing minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage to discuss its funding in March, followed by a meeting with Alex Norris, the regional growth minister.

The group employs Henham Strategy as its lobbyist, a firm where Rayner’s partner, Sam Tarry, works as an adviser.“….

….”Great South West recently received £281,250, while the government cut funding to other pan-regional partnerships.

This was granted on the grounds that the southwest region did not have any mayoralties with the capacity to cover the work previously covered by the partnerships on coordinating investment.”…

….The MHCLG said: “Any suggestion of impropriety in this matter is completely unfounded. It is also standard practice for ministers to meet with regional stakeholders to discuss funding and strategic priorities.

“The Great South West received an additional year of funding to support its transition towards a mayor-led model of regional collaboration, as it is the only area not currently covered by a mayoral combined authority.”

A Henham Strategy spokesman said: “Sam Tarry does not conduct any work for Henham Strategy with any client or on any project related to MHCLG departmental responsibilities and has not been involved with the Great South West account.”…

The Great South West carve-up

Since 2017 Owl has been reporting on the chequered history of The Great South West lobbying group. Steve Hindley, the developer with the “Midas” touch until it went bust, started it rolling.

The low point was probably reached in Jan 2020 when it made a big pitch, with full fanfares, to Sajid Javid, then Chancellor of the Exchequer (but an Exeter alumni), a couple of weeks before he resigned during a Boris Johnson cabinet reshuffle. 

It then seemed to have fizzled out, until Susan Davy put the day job to one side to offer a reboot, in June 2021, of the “economic expertise” of Pennon in a paper grandiosely entitled  Levelling Up the Great South West: A G7 Legacy. 

Now, on your behalf, they have bent the ear of ministers with The Great South West Housing Prospectus 2025 prepared by Henham Strategy “positioning the Great South West as a proactive, opportunity-rich region ready for housing investment.”

This will be music to Angela Rayner’s ears!

No effort has been spared in its preparation as described by the said Henham Strategy:

“The final prospectus combined strategic regional narrativewith individual site showcases, designed to help investors quickly assessopportunities and understand their value. The design and tone wereintentionally practical, accessible, and geared toward sparking furtherconversation. This project required more than copywriting. At the core, itdemanded the ability to translate between two sectors that often struggle tocommunicate effectively. We helped local government tell its story in termsthat resonate with investors.” [Sic]

The Big Picture

Recognise it?