PPS is a company of talented people working in the tougher areas of communications consultancy. If you need an advocate to explain a complex issue in a coherent and compelling manner, then PPS is for you.
Companies and organisations can't just assume that they will be supported in their endeavours. The onus is now upon them to explain themselves and to correct misunderstandings. PPS has been helping clients to identify and communicate with key stakeholders for many years. This means listening and being seen to listen as well as doing the talking.
With a blend of ex journalists and seasoned PR professionals in our team we know how to create a good story whether it is aimed at national, regional, vertical or digital media. PPS runs a number of outsourced press offices on behalf of our clients or we can act as an extension of the existing in house team.
PPS is at the cutting edge of effective community consultation. We advise on some of the most complicated consultations using a robust framework that is bullet proof as far as the outside world is concerned and techniques that yield valuable feedback from the target community. We are active members of the Consultation Institute working with them to improve the standards of consultation in the UK.
PPS is the largest independent public affairs company in the UK. We are as at home guiding you through the politics of central government as we are explaining the minutiae of the devolved governments and unitary, district or county councils.
There are still a few organisations that don't believe they have to put anything back into the community, but they are rapidly running out of road. PPS is fortunate to work with some of the more enlightened, who can see the commercial advantages of acting in a responsible way and being seen to do so. We believe no other consultancy has more experience of helping business to work in better partnership with communities to their mutual benefit.
If those responsible for running any organisation still need persuading that maintaining corporate reputation is important, it might be asked what planet they have been living on of late?
Bad news always did travel fast - now thanks to the Internet and 24 hour media it moves at a speed and intensity that can overwhelm an organisation within days if not hours.
It is therefore imperative for senior management to prepare in advance to meet such a challenge if and when it happens.
PPS has an excellent track record of helping organisations create such bespoke crisis and issues management plans and supporting them with their practical implementation when the need arises.
We have the qualifications to justify a place on any communications roster for education-related work. PPS has a strong track record helping education authorities to secure permission for new schools and colleges; we have worked on educational PFI programmes and have undertaken local consultation programmes around educational changes.
For examples of our previous education-related work:
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In recent years environment and energy concerns have been catapulted to the top of the legislative and media agenda. And many in the sector are struggling to communicate effectively as few subjects stir such emotions and prejudices.
At PPS we have pulled together the country's most accomplished and experienced team of specialists in this area. We work for renewable energy suppliers, nuclear power providers, utility companies, major industries and waste and resource management operators.
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For an overview of our previous work in Environment, Energy and Waste & Resources -
please click Sector overview PDF below.
To view case studies on projects for the following clients; WRG, Lincolnshire CC, Novera Energy and Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority - please click Case Studies: Waste & Resources PDF below.
Sector overview
Click here
Case Studies: Waste & Resources
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PPS revels in the communications challenges associated with health related issues. Our experience extends to running political and media campaigns, working on PFI bids, running stakeholder consultations with the community and securing permission for new hospitals and other facilities.
Case Study: Anchor Trust
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Case Study: Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust
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Some of the country's most respected professional bodies use PPS at a national level and, in the regions, using our network of offices. We work for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors putting their policy case to Government and have promoted the work of the Institute of Actuaries.
For examples of our previous work in this area:
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How can we describe PPS's work on property or planning without sounding immodest? Well, modesty go hang. We originated the practise of using PR and community consultation to best present a planning case 20 years ago. We are the biggest consultancy doing this, have the most experience and an unbeatable track record of success. Does that sum it up?
For examples of our previous work in property and planning:
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Case Study: Genesis Housing_London Borough of Lambeth
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Good communications and community engagement are now integral to the way public sector bodies go about their business. Whether its local government, education, transport, central Government, the emergency services or health, PPS has knowledge and experience that can provide the solution to the most complex of issues. Corporate reviews and improvement plans, service plans and strategies, media training and consultation are all part of our offer.
For examples of our previous work in the Public Sector:
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Case Study: Salisbury District Council
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PPS has always worked for leading retailers helping win planning permission and securing store openings. And we have a track record on leisure that is second to none. We have worked up and down the country for David Lloyd Leisure and helped secured planning permission for the RFU at Twickenham and in the Green Belt for the Belfry.
For examples of our previous work in retail and leisure:
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Case Study: Sainsburys
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PPS was lucky enough to hire the heart of the community-relations team from 3 that had won plaudits for its ground breaking, comprehensive and sensitive approach. They strengthened our line up giving us the best telecoms team in the country. And our clients have responded. They love the fact that our guys know so much about the communications issues surrounding mast roll out and are experts on the industry.
For examples of our previous work in the telecoms sector:
Click here
We are privileged to work on some of the most challenging transport briefs in the country. PPS has used stakeholder relations to get car drivers onto public transport, consulted for the likes of NATS and TfL, secured government funding for transport schemes and helped win planning for projects like Stansted Airport and Felixstowe docks. If it's to do with planes, trains or automobiles, we're the people for you.
For examples of our previous work in the transport sector:
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Case Study: BAA Stansted
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They're bright, they're excellent communicators and they care about the quality of the work they do for you. You can expect senior PPS staff to be among the very best in the business. You can also expect them to be actively involved in your account.
You're spoilt for choice if you want to talk to us about work in and around the capital. We've four teams based out of our west end offices each led by one of the sharpest tools in the box.
69 Grosvenor Street
London W1K 3JW
Telephone: 020 7529 1700
Fax: 020 7629 7514
PPS's Manchester office is the largest outside London and our team has unparalleled experience in every city and most towns across the region.
Ground Floor
Hanover House
30-32 Charlotte Street
Manchester M1 4FD
T. 0161 832 2139
F. 0161 834 2744
PPS has been in Scotland since before devolution and our team has worked on some of the defining communications issues in the country.
Forsyth House
93 George Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3ES
T. 0131 226 1951
F. 0131 226 1957
PPS's south-western offer encompasses two offices – a Bristol hub and a satellite in Cardiff.
9 North Court
The Courtyard
Woodlands Lane
Almondsbury
Bristol BS32 4NQ
T. 01454 275 630
F. 01454 275 636
Sophia House
28 Cathedral Road
Cardiff
CF11 9LJ
T. 02920 660194
M. 07920 258047
We've featured in The Sunday Times '100 Best Small companies to Work For' in both the last two years. They say PPS is an 'outstanding' place to work.
We think this comes from our culture. We aim to recruit exceptional people, train them well and motivate them to succeed for their clients. We reward success, but also nurture and support our staff to get the very best from them. As a result we combine high profitability with some of the lowest staff turnover in the industry.
Interested? Well contact Ann Marie Stephenson, our head of HR
PPS was a founder member of the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC), way back in the 1990s. The APPC regulates the activities of commercial companies providing political consultancy services and has a code of conduct we adhere to.
But PPS has internal policies that go beyond even the APPC code. We have a main board sub-committee that meets regularly to discuss and police our approach. Ethical conduct is a central plank of our training programme and Charles St George, our Ethics Tsar (and a main board director) tours all our teams regularly to ensure our ethical approach is maintained.
Providing consistent high quality work across a network like ours is a challenge. But its one we make every effort to meet.
The starting point is to hire good people: and we do. Beyond that, the Company has rigorous internal quality standards drawn from the best of best practise. We then train our staff on how to achieve them using our in-house quality programme 'Operation Heston' which draws inspiration from obsessive, detail driven chef, Heston Blumenthal. We like his approach - look after the details and the Michelin stars will look after themselves.
At PPS, we take our environmental responsibilities seriously and are currently working towards ISO 9001. For instance,
For us, equal opportunity is more than a politically correct duty - its sound business sense. So we employ the best people and we guarantee that career progression at PPS won't be affected by your race, creed, colour, age, sexual orientation, political beliefs, accent or disability, in fact, anything other than your ability.
We get involved in the communities we operate in. At a basic level, this means allowing staff time off to undertake worthwhile community-focussed activity. We have employees who are councillors and others who work with charities or local schools.
And PPS also gets involved by working on worthwhile projects for free. For instance, since 2007 we have been helping the BW Foundation, a Muslim charity, get planning permission for a multi faith community centre in Harrow. It's a complicated scheme but we believe in it and have been able to demonstrate enormous community support.