SEEDS: The Early Years

By Sarah Bissett Scott (Bissett-Johnson)

The starting point for SEEDS was the GLC in 1984 where the Committee for Industry and Employment (I&E) was chaired by Cllr Michael Ward - who later became Deputy Leader of the GLC. Robin was his, and therefore the GLC’s, Chief Economic Advisor.  Robin vigorously pursued a co-operative approach for London businesses and local communities. Directing the I&E department, Robin oversaw the writing of the London Industrial Strategy and the establishment of the Greater London Enterprise Board (GLEB).  He worked with Drew Stevenson, then Chief Strategic Planner at the GLC, whose Committee Chair was Cllr George Nicholson. Together Robin and Drew considered policies which would progress the agendas of their committee chairs.

A first task, clearly instigated by Michael and Robin, was to integrate the influence of the London-based GLC with its hinterland – the small urban settlements, often New Towns, surrounding the capital.  Many of these townships were suffering disproportionately from industrial change because of their geography and the application of conservative policies of that era which accelerated de-industrialisation and the movement of capital to areas with cheap labour costs.  Too small to pack much of a punch in isolation but nevertheless often with innovative ideas for local economic and area-based actions, these towns presented an opportunity that Robin envisaged in the SEEDS project.

With many urban settlements outside London potentially ready to adopt a new strategic direction and put into action locally crafted plans to overcome high levels of unemployment, Michael and Robin, and George and Drew, set a simple task of inviting the leaders (or planning chairs) into the GLC to meet up. As each GLC Chair of Committee had a policy advisor, this ‘little’ project – two lines on a note from the Chair of I&E to the Planning Chair - came across my desk as Planning Policy Advisor in early 1985.

It took nearly eighteen months to set up the first meeting. Why so long? Communications were a great deal more challenging then – no emails, no mobile telephones, and with little consistency between local authorities in the naming of committees, their Chairs, or how to find them.  At that time there was no sense of region, other than through SERPLAN (the London and South East Region Planning Authority) – an august body of mainly County-based Directors of Planning. Its Secretariat was based in County Hall where it met regularly and discussed land-based planning for ‘the Rest of the South East’ (ROSE) and exchanged views with the GLC, the planning authority for Greater London.

While SEEDS was being developed (1985-86), the SERPLAN Members Policy Group was chaired by George Nicholson in his capacity as the representative of planning for Greater London. SERPLAN only had four district or new town representatives, hence the clear lack of influence or consideration for the urban parts of ROSE. And the GLC was under mortal threat from the national Government.  These conditions were the fertile ground that Robin above all perceived, and which Cllr Richard Howitt as the new young councillor and chair of the Planning and Economic Development Committee (later Leader) of Harlow rapidly recognised as a huge opportunity for these urban settlements. 

Richard Howitt had become a councillor in 1983. He was involved in appointing Dermot Byrne who was the Chief Executive of Harlow moving from the London Borough of Newham. Both Richard and Dermot were innovative and visionary leaders who were committed to involving local residents and businesses and tackling inequality and poverty. They not only set up the economic development unit but also a women’s unit, an equal opportunities unit and a policy team. All co-operated in engaging the local community and providing some new and radical policies aimed at improving the quality of life particularly for disadvantaged groups and reducing unemployment.

With Richard firmly on board, my task of arranging any meeting for more than three or four representatives from beyond London suddenly became much easier. The early concept began to take root. Attendance increased with the simple promise of an evening with the Chairman of the GLC, Tony Banks - chains and robes on display - and a small budget for feeding our intrepid travellers from Stevenage, Harlow, Crawley, Basildon, then Brighton, Reading, Slough and so on. 

A constitution was drafted (a GLC lawyer Peter Brayshaw and a Stevenage officer Simon Spellor provided the template), and a document was signed at the eleventh hour before the GLC was closed down in March 1986. In these final days of the GLC, Richard became SEEDS’ first Chair, Robin the Programme Advisor, and the creative accountant, Jim Whitten (Crawley’s Finance director) was in place as Treasurer with David Holt the Hon.Secretary. Stevenage offered ‘pay and rations’ for a half time member of staff (myself) with the other half of my post paid by the London Residuary Body where I worked with Drew Stevenson, fulfilling a very compatible role as ‘Principal Planner – Regions’, which enabled SEEDS to start up its programme of research.

The Secretariat of SEEDS slowly took shape in Stevenage from mid-1986. As a subscription-based Local Authority association, the governing body would go on to meet regularly, usually in London, often at Friends Meeting House or RMT (Rail and Maritime Transport Union) at Euston, or near Westminster, occasionally in the House of Commons or in Smith Square at Transport House.

The programme developed under Robin and Richard’s direction with input from the founder members and the guidance of an Editorial Board comprising esteemed academics such as Profs Doreen Massey and Maureen Mackintosh. By then a full-time researcher, Dr John Montgomery and myself, plus an administrator, Angie Riches, formed the staff in Stevenage. Stephen Marks provided our Press cover, and Cllr Mike Roberts from Rushmoor District Council ensured minority group representations.  Each participating authority had a ‘link officer’ – the economic development or sometimes planning officer. For example, in Luton, both the Chief Planning Officer and the Director of Environment (Mike Drew) were actively engaged, while Paul Bevan, Brighton’s Economic Development officer (later deputy CEO) made huge contributions to the shape and content of the SEEDS’ environment programme. Some County Councils were associated by contributing research funding and helping to shape up projects like the defence industry and the pharmaceuticals sector (which was predominantly Hertfordshire-based). In the Hertfordshire County example, it was Simon Smith and John Pryor who contributed so willingly.

Over the next four years, SEEDS carried out a wide range of policy studies in order to develop a comprehensive economic, social and environmental strategy for the South East. These SEEDS studies form an integrated series of more than 30 reports.       

The reports produced over this period were excellent, but their strength was how people - and particularly people in local authorities within the SEEDS association - were able to ground so many concepts contained in the reports in order that they could be interpreted and delivered locally. Their focus was clear, on short/medium/long term recommendations at local/regional/national (and European) scales, with the Green agenda and equalities always not far from the forefront of its innovative route map.

Throughout this time, Robin contributed enormously by making so many innovations and ideas become a possibility with his inspiration and encouragement. He regularly drew in a wide range of contributors – including from the GLC or IDS, the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University– to experiment with new ideas in local economic development. One former colleague, Ken Worpole had this recollection:

"Like Robin, I suspect, I’ve always regarded local government as more important than national government, particularly for those of us who believed in bottom-up approaches to economic and social development and change. It was always stimulating company to travel with Robin, Michael Ward, Sarah Bissett-Johnson, Geoff Mulgan, John Montgomery and others to Basildon, Brighton, Crawley, Harlow, Stevenage, Reading, and other towns in the region (I think Robin also managed to recruit Dieppe into South East England), talking to council members and officers, all of whom thought Robin a god come to earth. ‘I could listen to Robin all day,’ was commonly heard afterwards in the Members’ tea-room."

The SEEDS reports were part of a programme of nearly two decades, beautifully structured through Robin’s vision, catching the imaginations of politicians, academics and officers involved.

 July 2020