The text below is a an open letter which I have published on the Internet and also sent directly to the British Association of Landscape Industries, the Association of Professional Landscapers and the Society of Garden Designers.
The letter was also sent directly to Hort Week and The Landscaper Magazine but sadly, both of them have not considered it important enough to add to their sites - Horticulture needs an independent and unbiased news outlet as well but that is perhaps another debate for a later date.
I am delighted to say that the APL have responded extremely positively to the 'hand grenade' I threw into their bunker and I have already had direct discussions with both Adam Frost and Jason Lock. I understand that discussions will commence as soon as key people return from holidays.
I have also had a communication from Annabel Downs of the SGD who tells me that the open letter has been raised with council and they will get back to me with a response asap.
I understand that the letter has been passed to the BALI board but I am yet to receive an official response from them.
The letter said...
I write to you on behalf of all good landscapers and garden maintenance workers who are employed within the horticulture trades.
Times are hard - for many it will not get better. For some
businesses and individuals, things will never improve and they will be
forced to give up what they love; For others, time has already run out.
The writing had been on the wall for the five years before the
recession finally arrived. Only fickle people could ever imagined that
the boom years would continue to provide wealth forever and so many
gardening businesses were, and remain, unprepared for a long struggle
and they need help.
I am not going to go over old ground but save to say, I think that
there have been selfish and catastrophic mistakes made by BALI and the
APL in the last ten years that have caused a vacuum in our industry -
many mistakes could have and should have been avoided if your
organisations had connected and talked to each other and reached out to
everyone who aspired to be better.
It is wrong that we have a very small group of elitist companies and
individuals who appear to benefit whilst the vast majority are
discarded on the outside without industry representation.
I wish to see a new start where the ethos and model changes.
Otherwise insulation and a lack of communication could lead to a
complete breakdown at the centre of landscaping.
It is time to break down the barriers and reform your organisations
to lead by example, put transparency at the core and help educate and
transform our industry into something that we should all feel proud -
but more importantly, working for everyone and not just a few.
I would like to see the formation of a horticulture working policy
party that is made up of BALI and the APL, as well as the SGD and a
wide representation from ordinary people at the heart of British
horticulture from across many connected trades and create a framework
to assist people from the very start of their careers and throughout
their business life - Whether that is as a single person employed
within a small or large business or as a fledgling business or indeed a
long established company.
It is my belief that insular organisations cannot exist as they have
been allowed to for so long. The Internet has opened up a whole new
world for sharing information and interacting with others. We now have
the opportunity - perhaps obligation- to change the system so that the
industry is represented across the board and not in lightly populated
and detached groups.
I can agree with a vetting system to a extent but I also feel that
what is often overlooked is the ability of every individual and
business to tell the world what is good about themselves - the client
is the best possible judge as to whether that business has delivered on
its promises.
I am not sure exactly how many businesses there are within UK
landscaping and horticulture but it will run into thousands. We need to
create a hub that is funded proportionately by everyone across the UK
who wishes to help propel the industry and their own careers and
businesses to a level that can compete.
Horticulture is worth billions of pounds to the UK economy yet we
remain the poor relation in industry eyes. For example, how on earth
has B&Q been able to impose a 90 day settlement on the goods it
receives from its suppliers?
The key areas that we should all work for are:
Good horticulture education from the start with better and bigger facilities.
Business advice and financial planning.
Group buying powers.
National pricing guidelines.
One of the most popular queries on Landscape Juice is 'what does a
gardener charge' and 'how much does landscaping cost' - with the right
business education and consultation within horticulture, our customers
could rely on the information that is produced by our industry.
As organisations, I believe that you all have responsibility to
release information to the industry that is not just for the eyes of
your membership. If I read your intentions correctly, your ambition is
to create excellence - this ambition conflicts greatly with your money
making ambitions and this is where the concept falls down.
There is no reason why your organisations cannot continue to work as
specialist groups within the industry but the label needs changing so
that it is clear. APL membership stands at circa 370 and BALI at 500 -
are these the only businesses in the UK worthy of your badge? - I think
not.
It is now time to talk before time runs out - I am willing to
facilitate a debate and participate with coordinating a consultation
that crosses all organisations - please be good enough to consider it.
RSVP
Philip Voice
