PRCA writes to Andy Burnham’s office to make case for public relations

16/07/2026

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has submitted evidence to the office of incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and relevant MPs and All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs), following publication of its CBI Economics report, Beyond Communications: Understanding the Economic Contribution of the UK Public Relations Sector.

The correspondence sets out the economic and strategic case for recognising public relations and public affairs as significant contributors to UK growth, innovation, investment and democratic engagement, drawing on evidence presented in the report.

According to the CBI Economics analysis, the UK public relations sector contributes £7.1 billion to the UK economy and supports more than 95,000 full-time equivalent jobs. For every £1 generated directly by public relations and public affairs businesses, a further £0.77 is supported elsewhere.

Economic value is generated in every nation and region with significant hubs outside of London in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham.

The independent report finds that public relations is not simply a communications discipline, but a strategic capability that enables wider economic and societal outcomes. This forms the basis of the PRCA’s argument that member services can help with many of the policy challenges facing Government to unlock innovation and growth.

The evidence points to four things the PRCA believes should happen next.

The PRCA urges the Government to open a discussion about how public relations and public affairs can help unlock the transformation of the UK, creating both economic and societal growth. A sector that already contributes £7.1 billion in gross value added and supports more than 95,000 jobs is well placed to help address the challenges the country faces, from rebuilding trust in institutions to repairing fractured communities.
The PRCA invites a sector-wide and industry discussion about how public relations and public affairs activity is measured and valued. The profession’s contribution is currently fragmented across multiple economic classifications, which obscures its scale and weakens its standing in policy and investment decisions. A shared approach to measurement would allow the sector to evidence its value with the consistency the case now demands.
The PRCA calls on business and Government to recognise public relations and public affairs as part of the national response to misinformation and social division, two of the most severe risks the country faces. The profession that earns trust and rebuilds understanding between estranged groups is a public asset as well as a commercial one, and it should be resourced and convened as such.
The PRCA calls upon Government and business to address the systematic under-investment into public relations and public affairs skills and services in order to unlock the discipline’s advisory capabilities and influence with policy makers and executives, and drive stronger economic and societal outcomes.

Sarah Waddington CBE, PRCA CEO, said:

“Great Britain faces a moment of reckoning and speed is of the essence. Transformation requires strong and consistent stakeholder engagement and buy in, grassroot support and most of all trust and understanding; all outcomes that can be brokered by the skills held by strategic communicators.

“PRCA members offer strategic and ethical counsel at the highest level, backed by their adherence to our rigorous Code of Conduct and Code for Professional Lobbying. Our role is to foster communications and broker understanding between disparate groups, crucial to achieving social cohesion and hope. In this time of geopolitical uncertainty, increasing stakeholder uncertainty and democratic challenge we have the capability to help.

“The headwinds facing the UK are significant but Government is not alone in facing these. The PRCA’s membership stands ready to support the development of trust and stakeholder confidence, enable behaviour change and influence policy outcomes to deliver greater resilience and growth. The PRCA stands ready to convene and lead these conversations.”

The move forms part of the PRCA’s mission to increase understanding of public relations and increase investment in public relations and public affairs services.

Earlier this year, the PRCA member community published a new definition of public relations focused on the value and commercial outcomes delivered. The PRCA also wrote to business membership organisations and procurement organisations to encourage best practice in pitching and make the link between online reputation management and PR briefs.