A lobbyist for some of the UK’s biggest property developers used a direct communication channel to the leader of a Conservative council to help push through planning applications for luxury apartment developments.
Peter Bingle used his longstanding relationship with Ravi Govindia, the leader of the London borough of Wandsworth, in attempts to circumvent council officials he believed were being obstructive to his clients, including over the size of payments due to public projects.
Bingle’s access has been revealed in a cache of emails released under the Freedom of Information Act that show him asking Govindia, a former flatmate, to smooth the passage of planning applications for hundreds of luxury homes between 2011 and 2013. Govindia responded in some cases by promising to chase officials and arrange meetings.
Bingle is a former Conservative councillor in Wandsworth and was chairman of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs, once one of the country’s biggest lobbying firms. He set up Terrapin Communications, whose clients have included Ballymore and Bellway, the housebuilders, and Royal Mail when it was selling off its land for housing.
When Royal Mail complained about the junior rank of the planning officer assigned to its application and having to repeat details of its plans to officials, Bingle emailed Govindia: “This wouldn’t have happened under the old regime. Your help would be appreciated in sorting things out.”
Bingle later forwarded the Royal Mail’s plan for its presentation to the Wandsworth planning committee to Govindia, asking: “What’s your advice?” Govindia replied two minutes later: “Will call as soon as I finish this meeting.”
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing, but the correspondence provides a rare window on the methods developers use to apply pressure to politicians behind the scenes to speed up high-stakes planning decisions and to reduce infrastructure payments. An investigation last week revealed how Berkeley Homes, one of London’s largest developers of luxury homes, routinely told local authorities that their affordable housing targets were unviable.
In April the Guardian revealed that planning lobbyists regularly entertained Robert Davis, Westminster city council’s former planning committee chairman. Davis received hospitality or gifts 893 times over six years, frequently from developers and their agents. Davis has since resigned as deputy leader.
The emails relate to when Bingle was working as a lobbyist for the Royal Mail, which had submitted plans for a 1,800-home development on its site close to Battersea Power Station. In one email to Govindia, Bingle lambasted the council’s handling of a negotiation about how much his client should pay to the public purse, describing it as “chaotic and shambolic”. He told Govindia the saga “does nothing for Wandsworth’s reputation in the property world … Something has gone seriously wrong.”
The planning application was eventually approved. Royal Mail last year sold part of the site to US investors for £101m.
Bingle chased Govindia for updates on the progress of another 252-home application at Battersea for another client, complaining about “non-committal” planning officials. He applauded the leader when a separate application for 104 private flats in Putney by Berkeley Homes was approved, signing off an email: “Many thanks for a great result.” The development had no social housing.
Bingle has denied exerting any undue influence, and Govindia said he made no apology for delivering more homes for Wandsworth.
Public records show Bingle has entertained at least 31 councillors in different London boroughs in recent years, taking some out for lunch or dinner more than a dozen times. When Govindia, who was among those he entertained, was awarded a CBE in 2017, Bingle said: “Never has an award for services to local government been more deserved.”
Govindia did not sit on Wandsworth’s planning committee, but Bingle repeatedly urged him to help, often simply forwarding on complaints from property developers.
In January 2012, Royal Mail was concerned about what the council wanted in terms of payments for schools and education. Bingle forwarded an email about that directly to Govindia, saying: “Ravi, views?”
Govindia replied later that day: “I will chase the education chaps.”
In March the development consultant on the scheme asked Bingle to “prod Ravi that we need to get on with this”. Bingle forwarded the email to Govindia saying: “I thought it simplest just to forward this to you.”
When Bingle sent an email asking: “Leader, can we get a meeting with you in the diary for next week? This scheme is now stuck,” Govinida replied: “I have asked for an update from planners next week.”
Asked about the relationship, Bingle said: “The fact that this information came from a freedom of information request shows that it was always available for scrutiny in the public domain. And rightly so. Having been a longstanding friend of Ravi I know it is impossible for anybody to have undue influence over him. Since his earliest days on Wandsworth as a backbench councillor he has always resolutely defended his own viewpoint, even if it meant voting against the Conservative group.”
Govinidia said: “It is first and foremost the job of any council leader to press those on all sides to deliver improvements to their borough and improve the lives of their residents. To do the job effectively you need to listen to all voices and make sure that when problems or snags arise you are on top of them and that you can secure solutions to drive forward and deliver these improvements. I make no apology whatsoever for fulfilling my role as a council leader to deliver more homes, more jobs and more opportunities for our residents.”
He said the Royal Mail development would deliver 318 new affordable homes, a higher number than the developers originally offered.
• This article was amended on 19 September 2018 to remove an erroneous reference to Bingle being among those from whom Davis received hospitality or gifts.
