An open letter to the APL and BALI - A time for change

I write to you on behalf of all good landscapers and garden maintenance workers everywhere 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 this 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 isolation 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 self-regulated associations should not be allowed to exist as they have 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.


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 370 237 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

Comments

[adam]

Philip
As promised here goes! It was good to chat this morning and alot of what you say makes sense, how we get there I am not sure at the moment, but hopefully we will. I will be in touch after my break.
Kind regards
Adam Frost.

[Chris Young]

Interesting reading Philip - I have long held the belief that if the industry could pull together under the banner of one organisation, our voice would be louder and cross-sector working easier. The APL, SGD and BALI could save costs re admin, buying power etc., but there are politics involved, inevitably. However, with financial pressures ever-present, maybe it is time to have such a debate.
Chris (former editor of Garden Design Journal [SGD magazine])

[Chris Young]

Philip - I think this is a good idea, and something I have long been interested in discussing (in fact I wrote a letter to the editor of the SGD journal last year on this topic). The SGD, APL and BALI share similar markets so it would make (logical) sense to pool resources, efforts and knowledge. However, as ever, there is the issue of politics and organisation-focused agendas - but these must be resolved. Working together would ensure better industry profile, reduced admin and overheads costs, and a clearer identity for potential clients. Makes sense to me...
Chris Young (former editor of SGD's Garden Design Journal)