First account win for Lowe Bell breakaway agency.

Lawson Lucas Mendelson, the strategic lobbying agency formed last

month when two key Labour figures broke away from Lowe Bell Political,

has won its first account.

The National House-Building Council, the industry body which regulates

the quality of new homes, appointed LLM last week. The agency pitched

against three others for the account which carries fees of pounds

100,000 a year. It will advise the NH-BC on how to approach the new

Government, and on a review of its standard setting role and the

warranty it offers new home buyers .

The NH-BC hopes to play a wider role in the industry, and is keen to

offer its expertise during the Government’s pounds 5 billion housing

project announced this month.

Over the next five years, billions will be released from local authority

budgets to spend on repair and maintenance of council homes, housing

associations and new homes built by the private sector.

NH-BC’s chief executive, former Leicester City Council chief Imtiaz

Farookhi, has hired Fishburn Hedges as external consultants (PRWeek, 13

June), and Focus Communications for trade work.

- The NH-BC (not the NHBF, which was incorrectly mentioned in a headline

in our 13 June issue) is also looking for a head of communications to

replace Liz Male who has joined Fishburn Hedges as a senior consultant

(PR Week, 13 June).