The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) appears to be heading for a crisis as one of its members warned other organisations about trying to get close.
Writing in the November edition of the Pro Landscaper magazine (page 24) managing director of ISS Facilities Services Landscaping, Phil Jones, said that having seen the BALI board in action at the recent BALI AGM that he said he came away feeling far from being part of 'well-run, professional organisation'.
Jones said that at the AGM meeting lacked engagement, clarity and management professionalism. It was more like a scene from the Vicar of Dibley, he claimed.
Jones went on to say that before BALI wanted to join forces with any other group that they needed to find unity within its own ranks first.
Jones was speaking after BALI's new chairman Robert Field said - Hort Week October 2014 - he was in favour of reunification with the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL).
The talk of a merger between established industry groups appears to be a major U-turn for BALI. Only last January BALI's then chairman, Chris Carr - responding to calls of a merger of BALI and the APL - said he believed, from personal feedback he'd received from members that 'BALI members would not countenance losing their autonomy by being absorbed into the HTA'.
As the established groups (this includes the Society of Garden Designers) talk, once again, of merging, it is worth noting that any monopoly at is likely to break UK anti-competition laws and will undoubtedly fail, as any deal will inevitably lead to manipulation of the market.
Landscape Juice has always been vociferous of its dislike and distrust of closed industry groups and sees very little in this latest talk that may suggests we will see any kind of unity in the near future.
If in the unlikely even that any kind of merger does happen it will, surely, confirm that as individual groups, with their own membership, constitution, views and aspirations, their respective individual policies, haven't worked.
It's been said before that the binding together of two, or more, weakened organisations doesn't make one single stronger organisation...it can only lead to one greater weakened mess.
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