The Cardiff Bay Business Forum – nothing new under the sun

Now, this one is not for the faint-hearted and the link source is only to be tackled by those who like a challenging read – but it is worth it.  It is an academic paper  “Assessing community participation in local economic development — lessons for the new urban policy” by Mike Raco, who at that time (the mid 1990s) was at the Department of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow but who is now a Professor at University College London Bartlett School of Planning, Faculty of the Built Environment.

Written by an academic for academics in academic jargon it basically tells the story of the Cardiff Bay Business Forum (CBBF)  in the mid-1990s and its incestuous and unhealthy relationship with the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation (CBDC) – a situation not unlike the one that exists between East Devon District Council and the East Devon Business Forum.  The paper is highly critical of the relationship.  It thoroughly dissects the unhealthy relationship andinvestigates how other local groups and individuals felt frozen out of the the consultation and decision-making processes.

Here are some quotes from the article  (the BOLD is our highlighting):

The Chairman of the Cardiff Bay Business Forum:

You don’t get through to someone by banging on their door, instead you go and engage in constructive dialogue and partnership with them. Our aim from the start was to become an interest group, rather than a pressure group. Interest groups work from within political structures to gain influence, pressure groups work from outside and only try to stall or hamper progress.

Another quote from the Cardiff Bay Business Forum:

Michael Boyce [Chief Executive of CBDC] has publicly stated how important we are and at his first public appointment he referred to us as one of the four major players in the regeneration of the Bay — indeed we have credibility and we are not questioned by other groups…we are a young body yet we have authority and will exact it but only working closely with our partners.

A WONDERFUL quote from the Business Forum’s Treasurer: A quote from the Treasurer of Cardiff Bay Business Forum:

Crucially, we are friends with CBDC members. Both officially and unofficially I have excellent contacts with CBDC. I would say that this was more important than the more formal negotiations.  I’ll say to them, “look one of our members is pissed off [sic] over a drink, usually in Buffs”. I have different roles as Manager of Barclays Bank, Treasurer of CBBF and I am firm friends with a number of people round here. In that position I won’t be ignored.

And now a couple of quotes from the academic author of the paper:

…..Yet, the CBBF’s claims to be representative of local businesses have been challenged both internally by members and externally by other institutions. Its professed strategy of influence has run into criticism and difficulties due to its perceived failure to address issues of membership concerns and maintain its ‘independence’ in wider institutional networks. For example, many members see the leadership’s attempts to engage with partnership forms of governance as a shift in focus away from smallscale issues, such as rent levels, the stabilisation of site tenure and security.    For such members there have been direct conflicts of interest with the leadership who  have publicly supported the major infrastructure schemes which have created problems and threats to the future existence of marginal firms. The emergence of CBBF has highlighted and even institutionalised existing socio-economic cleavages within the business community of South Cardiff.

…..For the leadership of CBBF, working so closely with a quango body has created political problems. Its  claims to ‘independence’ have been jeopardised as it is increasingly seen as a partner of local political institutions which it is ostensibly challenging. Subsequently, it has also found itself being used to legitimate CBDC policies and activities and thus directly assist the Corporation in placating local residential community opposition.  It has exemplified the difficulties of maintaining a legitimate political stance and reputation as it has tried to juggle its position as a pro-growth organisation with claims of political independence.

And finally from groups and individuals who felt felt excluded from the cosy relationship between the Cardiff Bay Regeneration and the Cardiff Bay Business Forum:

….. The CBBF have added to the problems for us. They have their own ideas on the regeneration. But they have their own people to look after and we are the last people on their list.

 …..“They [CBBF] don’t care about the local community, they are just in it for themselves”.

 …..Some criticised  the legitimation of CBBF, stressing that its members were local ‘users’, rather than ‘inhabitants’ — visiting the area by day and leaving at night.

Substitute EDDC and EDBF and you pretty much have our current situation – with much of the damage already done and an EDDC Task and Finish Forum forbidden by EDDC’s Chief Executive from discussing  how this was allowed to happen and what needs to be done about it.