By Phil Briscoe, Newington Managing Director

As great swathes of the international property and development sector prepare to head to Cannes next week, the sector needs to address a growing media and public perception, reinforced by the presence of property professionals at The Presidents Club, that it has an image problem. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the argument too many people think the sector is white male dominated and only concerned about making money, and not interested in the quality of outcome delivered that is central to all the professionals that I meet in the sector.

Many of you have employed public affairs and public relations teams to help communicate the values of your developments and to consult effectively with local communities. But ensuring that the agency you hire helps you improve your reputation and is not the cause of damage is critical. What should you look for from agencies you retain?

First and foremost, make sure your agency operates to the highest ethical standards and is open and transparent. Membership of bodies such as the Association of Professional Political Consultants underpins an approach that sees member companies publish a full list of their clients and their staff engaged in public affairs on a quarterly basis. In addition, websites that list their staff help ensure that any third-party politician, partner or member of the public has full disclosure on who is approaching them.

Secondly, if there is a question about conflict or probity, remove it before it becomes an issue. Political consultants should never be seen to be in a position of easy access to decision-makers, or trading on their inside-knowledge. For this reason, it should be common practice for consultancies to prohibit any elected members of their staff from work in their own local authority.

At Newington, where we work across the planning and development sphere, we prohibit any of our consultants from sitting as planning committee members, as the potential conflict transcends the sector and goes beyond simple borough boundaries.

Third, only hire agencies based on their knowledge and expertise. Agencies that flaunt their contacts with politicians, not only break APPC rules, but are a major risk to your reputation. If your case is strong enough and well-presented then the people you need to speak to will be prepared to meet you.

Fourth, when an agency speaks for you, or devises communications materials such as leaflets or public exhibition panels, they must be 100% accurate. Making false claims or promising the undeliverable, is unethical, and will damage your company eventually. As such, any agency should be prepared to stand behind anything they say and clearly have their name on materials.

The week at MIPIM is a great opportunity for businesses and government representatives to meet and collaborate, but those at MIPIM are in the public eye like never before and the highest ethical standards must be upheld.

Good development can bring untold benefits for local communities and society as a whole, and the UK has an enviable system of visible and transparent decision-making. However, the occasional negative story damages the whole property sector and paints all developers in a negative light. It is time for everyone to help drive the cowboys out of the planning communications sector.

Phil Briscoe is the Managing Director of Newington and heads up their local government and planning division. He will be attending MIPIM next week, along with colleagues.