Westminster group: plans emerge

Design Council proposals to represent the design industry in Parliament are bearing fruit, with plans for a Parliamentary Group on Design and Innovation garnering support from companies such as Marks & Spencer, BAA and British Airways.

Design groups including Seymour Powell, Pentagram, Cambridge Consultants and Fitch, and industry bodies the Chartered Society of Designers and the Design Business Association, have also pledged their support to the initiative.

The Design Council was due to announce further details of how the Parliamentary Group will be structured to the supporters as Design Week went to press. In partnership with Networking for Industry, a non-profit-making group formed by parliamentarians and industrialists, the Design Council aims to launch the initiative in November (DW 17 July).

The chief purpose of the group will be “to generate an exchange of knowledge and understanding between Parliament and industry about the role of design and innovation in improving competitiveness and the quality of life”, according to a statement which was issued by the Design Council.

All members of both Houses of Parliament will be invited to take part in the group’s activities. Any company or organisation may join, for an annual subscription of between 250 and 500 depending on number of staff. Three representatives from the industry members will be elected annually to sit on the advisory committee which will steer the group.