PRESIDENTIAL PIECE
Dancing to a new tune
AS THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF HIS PRESIDENCY PASS IN A HAZE OF TRIPS AND MEETINGS, GRAHAM BROWN REFLECTS ON FUTURE CHALLENGES AND THE INFLUENCE OF A CERTAIN DANCING CELEBRITY
I
don’t think that, when I fi rst entered the parking industry more than 20 years ago, it ever crossed my mind that I would one day be president of the association that represents the whole industry. I don’t think that, even as late as last year while
I was still president-in-waiting, I ever expected to share a stage with a singing diva and a retired politician cum Strictly Come Dancing star. But the world works in mysterious ways, and
parking moves in curious circles and here I am, fi gurehead of the good ship BPA as we enter a time of momentous change and upheaval. A new government, the most comprehensive
spending cuts in decades, slow emergence from a recession, a proposed total ban on clamping and towing, opposition to a parking charge review and the usual media outcry every time a parking story hits the headlines – no wonder the parking profession is a close-knit group!
From politician to public darling But it is to my fellow diners at the Members’ Dinner that I turn to for inspiration in the year ahead. No- one has risen to the challenge of change more than Ann Widdecombe. Since entering government in 1987 she has been mocked in the press for her dress, her policies, her beliefs and her manner, yet over the past weeks she has managed to gradually persuade a previously hostile audience to not just accept her, but to see her as a force for good. T e analogy with parking is just too obvious to spell out. And Kate Radmilovic is an opera star, who since
she began her singing career in 1990 has trained and practised until she is at the very top of her game. She has appeared in numerous productions across Europe, and in 2008 took on the ultimate role of Carlotta in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. And, never one to rest on her laurels, Kate is now auditioning as a soprano in New York. So, one person who has striven to turn around public perception, without abandoning her integrity
14 DECEMBER 2010
and principles, and another who strives for the next level of achievement every time she reaches a new high. Relevant? I will let you decide. But back to the challenges of the year ahead. We
have already announced our determination to get a fair deal for landowners and parking operators in the face of the proposed total ban on clamping on private land. Our next battle seems to be brewing over the call by some local authorities to raise penalty charge notices to a level that ensures they are seen as deterrents. Every step we take seems dogged by the snapping
of the media at our heels, stirring up public opinion. But we have to keep going, putting our message across in a measured and consistent way leaving the media to turn its attention to the next issue. In the meantime we continue to pursue a course that means parking is fair and consistent for everyone. And of course, it is going to be one hell of a year
HERE I AM, FIGUREHEAD OF THE GOOD SHIP BPA AS WE ENTER A TIME OF MOMENTOUS CHANGE AND UPHEAVAL
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Graham Brown is BPA president and sales director of Liberty Services
for local authorities. T e government spending review has rocked the public sector to its core, but it does not all have to be bad news. If the austerity measures lead to more effi cient practices, the use of innovative technology and new thinking, then can it be a bad thing? I see the current climate as a period of shifting tectonic plates – there will be upheaval, there may be tsunamis, but the disruptions will calm down, the dust will settle and the landscape may be diff erent, but it will not necessarily be worse. Whatever the next year holds, I am ready to face
the challenge, but in the meantime, as Craig Revel- Horwood would say, have an A-maz-ing Christmas and New Year.
Strictly Come
Dancing contestant Ann Widdecombe in relaxed mood
www.britishparking.co.uk
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