Diary: Air of intrigue to FH contract with DWP

PR Week UK, Friday, 12 August 2005, 12:00am,

Is Fishburn Hedges' contract at the Department for Work and Pensions to boost awareness of its Jobcentre Plus programme (see p6) a poisoned chalice?

When investigating what ostensibly seemed a fairly standard contract win, PRWeek was puzzled to find everyone at the agency near the brief apparently gagged.

We note that the DWP is preparing to shed 30,000 of its 130,000 jobs by 2008 as part of the ongoing wider reform of Britain's entire civil service. And while it is not currently known how many of the department's 350 comms jobs will go - it is certain some will.

So will Fishburn Hedges end up raising awareness of how to get back to work to some of the very people who hired them?