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Introduction by Peter Hain Page 4
The consultation: a summary Page 9
The review o Labour in Scotland Page 10
Change in Wales Page 10
Reounding our local parties Page 11
Clause 1
Our Party Leader: rights and responsibilities
Enabling structures
New Local Campaign Forums
Party meetings that ocus upon widening involvement
Eective working at a local level with Trade Unions
Ocers and local roles that match CLP needs
A development plan or every CLP
New strategic unctions or Regional Boards
Reounding our place in the community Page 15
A new Registered Supporters Scheme
Increasing involvement o levy paying members o
aliated trade unions and members o our Socialist Societies
Embedding community organising methods in
the way we work
Candidate Contracts or all elected representatives
Northern Ireland
Reounding Partnership into Power Page 18
Involving all our party members in policy-making
Reaching out to the public
Stronger, better policy-making institutions
Reounding support or our members Page 22
Training and development
New technology or communication
Membership subscriptions
Local party nances and the creation o an NEC Diversity Fund
and an NEC Local Organising Fund
Labour International
Rights and responsibilities o our Labour MPs and MEPs
Gender balance within the Leadership team
Reounding support or our councillors Page 26
Better representation or councillors within the party
Replace ALC subscriptions with the elected representatives
levy and provide better services or Councillors
Minimum local group levy to help Fund Local Organisers
Local government selection procedures
Reounding our commitment to diversity Page 29
Candidate selection
A more representative membership
Policy development
Reounding support or women members Page 33
An Annual National Womens Conerence
A local organisation or women
Reounding support or young members Page 34
A greater say or young members
An Annual Youth Conerence
A more representative Young Labour National Committee
Increased support or young members and Young Labour
groups
Reounding support or ethnic
minority members Page 38
Ethnic minority orums
Ethnic minority ocers
Reounding support or members
with disabilities Page 38
Making our party accessible or members with disabilities
Reounding support or LGBT members Page 39
Making our party accessible or LGBT members
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The consultation paper Reounding Labour: a party or
the new generation outlined in challenging terms the
choices acing Labour. It was rank about the weaknesses
exposed by our recent perormance and about the
proound changes in society to which we, and other parties,
had been slow to react.
It is a measure o the commitment and seriousness o our
members and aliates that they rose to the challenge and
engaged with the issues set out in this stark ashion rather
than taking reuge in denial or the repetition o old slogans.
Above all, there was a general willingness and desire to
learn rom those local parties and elected representatives
who have adopted new ways o campaigning and as a
result deed the trends at the General Election and begun
the ght back in this years elections and by-elections
across the country. We are not seeking to change the party
or the sake o change. As the title o this report says we
are Reounding Labour to win.
As a party we still have enormous determination to change
Britain or the better and the strength o mind to recognise
that we need to change our own ways o doing things i
we are to be equal to the task.
A campaigning, community-based partyWe received a wealth o evidence that local parties and
their elected representatives were already acing up to
the challenges with innovative approaches to their work
at local level including the way they communicated with
their members, experiments in making their meetings more
ocused on policy and campaigning, the relationships they
were building with their communities, and the eorts they
were making to involve supporters in party activities. And
the evidence showed that these changes were producing
results in terms o membership, campaigning and electoral
success. As always in the partys history, this consultationhas shown that we can draw on a huge amount o good
practice pioneered by local parties, elected representatives
and aliated organisations and learn lessons or the party
as a whole.
Reounding Labour to win recognises that with the
decline in long-term voter identication with parties,
the weakening audience or national news in a period o
multiplying media options or the consumer, and increasing
public cynicism about politics in general, we need to get
back to being a party rooted in communities, dedicated
to dialogue, and convincing people over years rather than
weeks that Labour can serve them. In order to achieve this
we will need to trust and listen to our members, giving
them opportunities to learn and practice new skills and
relying on them to apply our political values while thinking
on their eet as they talk to their neighbours and develop a
real community politics.
Members want to take more responsibility and to have a
greater say in the party. They want to reach out to their
local communities to learn rom their experience, to win
their support or Labour and to work with them on the
wide range o issues where civil society cannot wait or the
next General Election but must make its needs and views
known to politicians o all parties. When they do that, they
want party structures that assist rather than impede the
work. When they learn rom that engagement they want
the party at every level to listen seriously to their views.
In order to achieve this we need to:Make clear our commitment to community organising
and listening to our members in both a new Clause I and
a new statement o objectives or the partys branches.
Ensure through the way we work rom making space
or political discussion in meetings to providing specic
training in user-riendly orms - that our members can
develop the skills and the condence to enter into
dialogue with their communities and help local people to
campaign or the changes they need in their everyday
lives.
Remove bureaucratic obstacles to our local parties
getting on with that crucial work encouraging them to
nd approaches to organisation that best meet local
needs.
Reorm our organisation at local government level by
enabling parties to create streamlined action ocussed
Local Campaign Forums.
A party at the heart o a mass movementWe must rebuild a mass movement. Political parties alonecannot make the changes we need either in Britain as a
whole or in the individual communities o which it is made
up. We know and value the whole-hearted commitment
o those who join or aliate. Our individual members will
always be at the heart o our party. We will continue to
work shoulder to shoulder with the Trade Unions, the Co-
operative movement and the Socialist Societies who are
aliated to us. But in order to create a mass movement we
need to reach out to a wider range o individual supporters,
community groups and national organisations to develop
ways o working together where we share common aims
and o talking through our dierences honestly where
our views diverge. This is not about building short-term
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IntroductionPeter Hain MP, Chair, Labour Party National Policy Forum
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alliances or particular elections as American candidates
are orced to do by the nature o their political system. We
have a strong and active membership and are sustained
by the organic links with our aliates. Now we as a party
need to reach out to all those who wish to improve their
communities and country. The Labour amily will always be
central, but members know that we also need to work with
a wider range o riends.
Key to achieving this wider engagement are:Rebuilding the party as the core o a mass campaigning
movement by enabling local parties to sign up our voters
as Registered Supporters and invite them to regular
social, und-raising and political events, ask or their help
in campaigns and give them opportunities to share their
views in national and local issues with members and
elected representatives.
Reorming our subscriptions structure to make it easier
or local parties to recruit more members and introducing
a new nancial deal or CLPs based on airness and
ensuring that every CLP receives a minimum guarantee
package o support.
Ensuring that our party refects the whole o our society
both in its polices and in those who express them on our
behal by strengthening our commitment to the equality
and involvement o young members, women, BAME
members, LGBT members and those with disabilities
and reaching out to recruit more members and registered
supporters rom these groups.
Working with our aliated organisations to create more
opportunities, both local and national, or joint activities
and a welcome or each others members at events and
in campaigns
Putting our campaigning expertise developed in
elections at the service o our politics rooted in
communities using it both to win the power to deliveron our long-term policies and to spread the power to
create change through our communities rather than
using it to compensate or a lack o engagement with
the public.
Inviting national organisations (including charities,
pressure groups and voluntary organisations) which
share some aims and views with us to commit to a
long-term dialogue with the party.
A party which values members viewsMembers are proud to be part o a democratic party
in a democratic country. They know that elected
representatives must listen to and engage with the wider
public and not with party members alone. They know too
that in an era o 24 hour rolling news, the party cannot
aord endless public arguments over policy. They believe,
however, that we will have better policies, more closely
refecting the views o those they meet in their everyday
lives and when campaigning or the party, i we reorm
our policy process and Conerence to make more room or
genuine debate and exchange o honestly held opinions.
We will revitalise our policy-making processes so that
the lessons learned on the doorstep, in meetings with
community groups and through discussion with our
supporters can genuinely and easily make their way rom
our local activists to the National Policy Forum and Annual
Conerence where policies are made and rom there into
maniestos which speak to the reality o everyday lie in
communities across Britain.
A party o which we can be proudMembers are insistent that their elected representatives at
all levels must make it easier rather than harder or them
to do their work in their own communities. Many were
deeply hurt by both the expenses scandal and divisions
at the top and they bore the brunt o public anger and
disillusionment as they knocked on doors. They want to see
clearer lines o accountability to the membership and the
wider public rom everyone rom the Leader downwards.
They want to see clear commitments rom every candidate
and elected representative to probity, service to the public
and taking leading roles in party campaigning. They want
to be proud to say they are Labour and they want no doubt
about what Labour oers.
We can achieve this by:Setting out the rights and duties o the Leader and
Deputy Leader in the rules or the rst time ever and
allowing the Leader to appoint the Shadow Cabinet.
Setting out the rights and duties o Labours MPs
Creating candidate contracts or those who seek to
represent the party at all levels to ensure their
commitment to probity, hard work or the public, strong
relationships with community organisations and party
campaigning.
Ensuring that Labour councillors receive the support
they need or their work and that we learn rom their
experience and expertise in discussions at every level o
the Party.
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The debate continuesWe make no apology or beginning with these changes
ocused on the way local parties work and interact with
elected representatives, the wider community, our aliates
and our supporters. The invitation to think aresh about
the way our party works has started a discussion on
many other issues o national organisation. But the clear
message rom the consultation and rom the experience o
local parties and elected representatives who successully
deed national trends at the General Election is that we
must return to our roots and start rom the local rather than
working down rom the centre.
Reounding Labour as a campaigning, community-based
party depends above all on our ability to enthuse and
mobilise our members or that work, remove obstacles
rom their way and support them in their eorts. Without
healthy local parties, we would be nothing and everything
else we do is built upon the eorts o our volunteers.
At the end o this rst phase we know much more about
what has already been achieved by local pioneers and
we have set a clear course to reound our party on a
stronger, healthier basis so that, together with millions o
supporters, we can build the uture the British people need
and deserve.
The debate is not nished and in a democratic socialist
party aced with a ast changing world it should never
be over but we have made a strong start to the job o
reounding Labour to win with and or the people o Britain.
Moving orwardAgreement on the changes in this report is only the
beginning. We have to implement them so that we
genuinely do Reound Labour. And this cannot be
achieved rom above, even with an Annual Conerence
mandate. It can only be delivered rom below, at the
grass roots o our movement. That is the challenge oreach and every one o us: to build a quite dierent type o
party in tune with the new politics rather than remaining
with the old. I we achieve this and, as recent success
in constituencies like Barking, Edgbaston and Oxord East
demonstrate, we can then we will have leaprogged the
other major parties, leaving them stuck behind. We have
made a strong start to the job o reounding Labour to win
with and or the people o Britain. Now lets drive orward.
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The consultation:a summaryThe Reounding Labour consultation produced submissions
rom thousands o individual members, supporters, elected
representatives, local parties, trade unions, socialist
societies, organisations and local government groups.
It was vital to this consultation that we reached out to as
many members as possible to get their ideas or our uture.
To do this we made it easy or members to engage in the
consultation process.
We had online submission orms on the main Labour Party
websites, Membersnet and a dedicated Reounding Labourwebsite where people could leave comments, discuss
points raised in the document and make submissions.
We set up a Reounding Labour email address where
hundreds o submissions, questions and comments where
received. We had active Reounding Labour twitters, blog
and Facebook group.
Reounding Labour Discussion Guides were produced to
help local parties and groups run their own events, and
our Scottish, Welsh and regional oces organised around
six consultation events each across the country over the
months o May and June.
This resulted in the ollowing consultation statistics:
3,255 individual submissions
20,354 hits on Reounding Labour websites
66 events across the country led by our National and
Region Oces
184 party submissions
36 submissions rom groups or aliates.
As well as the all o the online responses, hard copies o
submissions, letters and notes were received by Labour
Party. We received over sixty posted submissions to The
Labour Party oce or Peter Hain MPs parliamentary
oce. These were predominantly rom individual Labour
Party members. There were a small number o groups and
aliates who also posted their submissions.
Every submission was read and helped orm these
proposals now presented to conerence.
A Reounding Labour to Win Summary Report was
produced and circulated to party stakeholders and
Reounding Labour consultation participants in July.
This was ollowed at the beginning o September with
an email rom Peter Hain to all members; a urther email
to all members ater decisions were taken at the NEC
Organisation Sub-Committee; and an email to all party units
and conerence delegates ollowing decisions made by the
September NEC.
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The review of Labour inScotlandOn 17 May 2011 the NEC agreed the Terms o Reerence
or a Review o the Labour Party in Scotland. Those Terms
o Reerence specied that: The Review needs to consider
how each level o the Scottish party local government,
Members o the European Parliament, Members o the UK
Parliament, Members o the Scottish Parliament and our
aliated organisations can best work together to achieve
the Partys objectives in Scotland.
The Scottish Executive Committee (SEC) recently met and
agreed a number o interim recommendations ahead o a
ull report with urther proposals that is to be produced inthe autumn, which will be considered at a special one-day
Scottish Conerence at the end o October. Any proposals
requiring national rule changes will be debated by the NEC
beore being decided at the 2012 Annual Conerence.
However the SEC and NEC have agreed that specic
recommendations concerning the leadership o Scottish
Labour Party should be raised at the orthcoming 2011
Annual Conerence, ahead o the election due to take place
this autumn.
The SEC has explained the reasons or this
recommendation, and or the timing o its proposals, stating
that:
Labour used that Scottish Parliament to deliver important
reorms or Scotland, but we didnt reorm ourselves. So
now we need to make devolution a reality within our party
too. Structures in themselves dont win us elections, but
this, the biggest change or 90 years, marks a resh start
or the Scottish Labour Party This is only the start o
the renewal o our party. We will be continuing the reviewover the coming months and will look at more detailed
areas beore producing the nal stage o our report in the
autumn. But we wanted to make our recommendations on
the leadership now to allow our new Scottish Labour Party
leader to be elected this year.
Additionally, the Scottish Labour Leader and Leader o the
Labour Group in the National Assembly or Wales will have
a standing invitation to attend meetings o the National
Executive Committee.
Recommendation:
It is thereore agreed to create or the rst time ann
elected Leader o the Scottish Labour Party; with the
SEC having primary responsibility over the procedures
or electing the Leader o the Scottish party, where
they intend to change the rules so as to widen the
eligibility criteria to allow MPs and MEPs to contest the
position.
Changes in WalesWelsh Labour aces radical change to party structures with
the 25 per cent reduction in the number o its MPs and the
decoupling o Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies.
The NEC will work with the Welsh Executive Committee to
ensure that the Welsh party takes this as an opportunity to
create eective and fexible methods o local organisation
while minimising disruption to its successul campaigning
work.
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Refounding our localpartiesClause 1There was widespread support or the party expanding
our mission statement or Clause 1, the clause in our rules
that outlines our purpose as a political party. The current
denition highlights our primary electoral objective, but
is silent on our desire to be a orce or change in our local
communities. A new Clause 1 should set out our desire to
build a party t or the uture; a genuine movement where
the connection between the party and the public is strong.
Our aim is to change the way the party works so we are
more open and welcoming to members and supporters
alike. Locally Labour needs to be seen as a catalyst orchange, rooted in the communities we seek to serve and
taking action to improve the lives o local people.
Recommendation:
Agree a new Clause 1 or the Labour Partyn
Our Party Leader: rights and responsibilitiesThe Reounding Labour consultation has exposed the act
that the position o the Leader has never been clearly
stated in the partys rules. Clause VII.1.A simply says that
there shall be a Leader and Deputy Leader and that they
shall be ex-ocio Leader and Deputy Leader, and then
reers to the election process.
We need a clear statement in the Constitutional Rules o
the role, rights and duties o the partys democratically
elected Leader. It has been suggested that a new clause in
the Constitutional Rules would pull together existing rules
provisions.
But it would also include provisions that:The Leader shall have the right to attend any party
meeting (or to appoint representatives to attend on his
or her behal) in order to promote understanding and
co-operation between all sections o the party.
The Leader shall, as a member the NEC shall uphold and
enorce the constitution, rules and standing orders o
the party and ensure the maintenance and development
o an eective political Labour Party in parliament and in
the country.
The Leader shall report to Annual Conerence on the
work and state o the party and its aspirations or the
country and make regular reports to the NEC, National
Policy Forum and other party bodies between annual
conerences.
The Leader as a member o the NEC shall have overall
responsibility or all elections and shall appoint a
Campaign Co-ordinator and a Campaign Committee to
ensure that all Labour Party election campaigns report
to the Leader and receive the support and assistance
they need.
It has also been argued that there should be consistency
in the process or selecting members o the Labour ront
bench. Currently, when the party is in government the
Cabinet is appointed by the Prime Minister; in opposition,
the Shadow Cabinet is elected by members o the PLP in
the Commons.
These diering procedures are not contained in the partys
constitutional rules but are set out in the Standing Orders
o the PLP. Submissions to Reounding Labour said that the
time had come to constitutionalise the system or selecting
the ront bench by creating a new rule stating that all ront
bench appointments shall be made by the Leader whether
the party is in government or opposition.
The PLP has now voted and agreed to this proposal, and
this is to be refected in our rule book.
Apart rom acting as Leader during any vacancy, the role
o the Deputy Leader should arguably be let fexible in
the rules. Dierent deputies will bring dierent strengths
to the role and the Leader must have the power to decide
how best to use the Deputys talents within the team. The
new clause should provide that the Leader shall consult the
Deputy on a regular basis and the Deputy shall provide the
Leader with advice and support in achieving the goals o
the party and deputise as requested.
Recommendation:
A new clause will be included in the rules setting outn
the rights and duties o the Leader and Deputy Leader.
Enabling StructuresSubmissions were clear that a local structure or
organisation is needed but we need to remove layers o
bureaucracy that act as barriers to involvement, simpliy
our rules, provide options or re-organisation and create
local parties that are open and welcoming o members,
supporters, aliated organisations, and the community.
It is clear members and local parties want change. They
want the reedom to develop local structures that allow or
greater involvement o the wider membership, especially
new and young members, supporters and the local
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community. A vast majority o submissions recognised
that no one size ts all, and CLPs want to innovate, and
develop local structures that suit their geography and
circumstances.
Structures are needed that allow or an increased ocus
upon policy-debate, campaigning and community action,
and less ocus on business and reports. Submissions also
wanted CLPs to have a responsibility to ensure healthy
branches as the base or our organisation, where branch
activity is reocused toward local community action rather
than business - so that at every level Labour locally is
reaching out into the community.
There was an acknowledgement that pending changes to
the Constituency Boundaries provide CLPs with an ideal
opportunity to review party structures at a local level. CLPs
will be asked to consider what option o organisation is
most appropriate or them in the period between now and
re-organisation on new boundaries.
Recommendation:
There should be no deault structure set out in then
Labour Party Rule Book instead there should be
options or organisation set out which are appropriate
to dierent circumstances and rom which a CLP can
choose and rules should be drated accordingly.
The party will thereore provide advice or CLPs on then
types o structural models adopted across the country
and the types o activities and events that have proved
successul, where any proposed structural models will
allow or greater membership and aliated
organisation participation; allow or joint working
between CLPs and across geographic boundaries; and
accommodate the dierences between urban and rural
constituencies.
New Local Campaign ForumsThere was widespread support or Local Government
Committees and County Parties to be replaced with a
smaller unctional body comprising o ocers and/ or
CLP and trade union representatives, along with the
Co-operative Party and other aliates, election agent(s),
leader and deputy leader o the Labour group and where
applicable, the local MP/PPC/MSP/AM. These new bodies
are to be called Local Campaign Forums.
The Local Campaign Forum should concentrate on local
election campaign co-ordination, candidate recruitment and
candidate selection. and working with the Labour Group
to promrote policy development. Membership o these
new bodies should be balanced in terms o gender, BAME
and youth representation. This would allow Labour Groups
to take the lead on local policy development with ull
consultation with local members, aliates and supporters.
Where there is no Labour Group the Local Campaign
Forum will provide a strategic place or cross constituency
campaigning and building o a local government base, and
work with local members and aliates to promote policy
development.
Any changes should allow or the continuation o existing
eective orums, and o course, within the broad campaign
strategy, CLPs would continue to be responsible or the
eective delivery o campaigns by their branches and
members.
Recommendation:
Replace Local Government Committees and Countyn
Parties with a new Local Campaign Forum allowing
local adaptation and choice over the structure and
membership o any orum
Party meetings that ocus upon wideninginvolvementThe submissions were clear that meetings should be more
ocused on the key purposes o local parties. CLP ocers
should ensure that:
Members are actively involved in selecting policy areas
or policy debates in meetings
There is an opportunity or political debate with
community and external speakers rom, or example,
local community groups, the local voluntary sector, trade
unions and business
Plans or campaigning and particularly campaigning on
local issues are central, alongside discussion o how to
develop community engagement and organisation by
building stronger relationships with members, trade
unions, supporters, and community groups.
Members are asked what transerable skills they have
and what areas o campaigning / community
involvement they would like to be involved in, so they
are encouraged to develop their skills in areas outside
leafeting/election organisation.
The party should ensure local party innovation and best
practice is disseminated as it is recognised that signicant
local change can occur without ormal rule changes.
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Recommendation:
Branches and CLPs should prioritise outreach into workn
places and local communities through campaigning and
policy discussion. They should organise into teams or
action or campaigning, undraising, social events etc.
and CLP rules will allow or the election o additional
co-ordinators to give them the most fexible leadership
team to achieve these objectives.
CLP AGMs should not be held during the run up to ann
election period and party rules will be amended
accordingly.
Eective working at a local level withTrade Unions
Whilst some local Labour Parties and Trade Unionbranches work well together in other places there is room
or improvement and an opportunity to improve. Many
submissions talked about the need or local parties to work
more closely with local trade union members.
Recommendation:
The party will continue to support Trade Unions in theirn
worker get worker campaign activity and look or
opportunities to extend this and look or other ways to
organise together around elections.
We will also ensure local parties are aware o rulen
requirement or joint working with trade unions.
Ocers and local roles that match CLP needsIt is clear rom the submissions that parties want a set
o ocers that match their needs and thereore want
fexibility over the number and types o ocers they have
at a local level.
The party will also develop technology that allows ocers
to network together, share inormation and best practice.
Recommendation:
The party will review the core set o ocers andn
update in model guidelines or CLPs which Executive
ocer posts are deemed mandatory, so that CLPs have
greater fexibility and awareness o that fexibility.
The rules will make it clear that Executive Ocers andn
other elected co-ordinators share leadership
responsibilities. And we will make it clear an election
agent does not have to be an EC member but should be
appointed as the best person to do the job.
We will continue to give parties the fexibility withinn
the rules to create the teams o ocers that match
their needs and activities.
The party will update the model job descriptions orn
ocers to provide each post with a clear series o tasks
and activities to choose rom. The model job
descriptions will make it clear that regard or equality
issues should be inherent in every ocer role.
We will suggest co-ordinator posts that local partiesn
should consider adding to their teams or example:
community involvement; trade union liason,
membership recruitment and retention; undraising.
A development plan or every CLP
Good planning is essential or all organisations. Planninghelps you clariy what you want to achieve, understand
where you are and identiy the best way to reach your
goals.
Good planning also helps you to build a team with a
sense o direction and purpose, and to be well organised.
Local Labour parties up and down the country have, or
many years, been using Development Plans to help them
increase membership, boost activity levels, raise unds and
campaign eectively.
Many Reounding Labour submissions talked about the
importance o development plans becoming standard
practice across all parties so they could identiy how they
want to build their CLP and map out activities into the
uture with the primary ocus on developing their activity
and organisational
capacity.
However the submissions were clear that the development
plans should not be over-complicated but may includetargets or membership and registered supporters,
development o members into activists, targets or voter
ID contacts, plans or leafeting and newsletters, plans
or the involvement and recruitment to the party o trade
union members and joint campaigning with local trade
unions, an outline budget and und-raising target, and an
outline calendar o key campaigns and events. They should
also include a review o branch organisation, womens
organisation and Young Labour organisation and steps the
CLP would take to help overcome shortcomings and build
on success.
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There has been a lot o eedback rom the submissions
on the need to make sure local parties provide a warm
welcome and encouragement to new members and in
order to meet this need, the creation and maintenance o a
network o new member mentors responsible or keeping
in touch with new members on a one-to-one basis should
eature prominently in all development plans.
Recommendation:
There should be a rule requirement or each CLP ton
submit in the ourth quarter o the year a development
plan (in a ormat approved by the NEC) or the calendar
year ahead to its Scottish, Welsh or regional oce.
The party will give rewards or improving CLPs, meetingn
targets, and local innovation through incentives
schemes, national recognition, at Annual Conerence orexample, and with the agreement o the NEC, by
inviting key members to take a lead role in spreading
best practices more widely.
New strategic unctions or Regional BoardsOur Regional Boards are made up o experienced party
members whose talent, experience and time should be
used as productively as possible. Regional Boards have a
key role in developing regional policy and holding elected
representatives and MEPs in the region to account. Some
submissions are clear that we need to do more to harness
this resource. Regional Boards can be better used to help
us organise and support members to be as involved in
the party as they would like to be, to engage with party
members and support them and to help maximise the
resources that go into campaigning where we need it
most. We can do more to acilitate our Regional Board
members taking more responsibility or the health o our
Constituency Labour Parties and having strategic oversight
o the CLP Development Plans, as outlined above, being
able to intervene as necessary, take appropriate action and
oer support in instances where a CLP does not submit a
Development Plan.
Within each region, dierent CLPs have dierent challenges
and opportunities whether they are sae Labour seats,
marginal seats or seats Labour has never held. Key to us
achieving success is ensuring that each region is working
in a way which is appropriate to their circumstances and
harnesses the enthusiasm and energy o all our members
and supporters.
Regional Board Working GroupsRegional Board Working Groups which would work with
Regional Sta, stakeholders, CLPs, MPs, Councillors, Trade
Unions, Socialist Societies and members to add value to the
work o the Regional Labour Parties should be established.
Each Region is dierent and we need to provide a
ramework that gives the greatest fexibility to ensure
these groups are as useul and productive as possible.
Dierent stages o the electoral cycle will also govern the
areas which are the greatest priority at any given time.
There should also be the capacity or the regional board to
co-opt members onto a specic working group in response
to dierent circumstances and to make use o wider talent
and experience at dierent levels o the party. Dierent
ideas and suggestions are given or the Working Groups
such as Member Recruitment and Retention; Fund-raising;
Women; Young members; Campaigning; Training and
Candidates; policy engagement; Trade union engagement.
This list is not exhaustive and dierent regions and
challenges will require dierent ocus or actions.
Recommendation:
The party will develop a Regional Strategy as an
ramework to support each Regional Team o
stakeholders, CLPs and aliates, with each region
agreeing a set o annual events or local members,
aliates and supporters to get involved in the work o
the party.
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Refounding our place inthe community
A new Registered Supporters SchemeThere is widespread support or involving supporters
more ormally and consistently in the party, but not at the
expense o the rights o members. CLPs should thereore
have the right to recruit registered supporters.
Around the country there are many excellent examples o
individual MPs mobilising support rom people in their local
community who back Labour but are not members o the
party. These supporter networks can be mobilised to back
local campaigns and add to local party eorts at election
time; be invited to local events and be consulted on localand national matters by email.
We can also look to the networks developed by the Obama
campaign or the last presidential race where people who
oten had no history o direct involvement with the political
process were inspired to get involved to change America.
Labour can learn rom these examples o best practice and
develop a network o registered supporters who can take
part in our party, improve our organisation on the ground,
build our links into communities and, most importantly, help
deliver successul election results.
There are a number o routes through which people could
become registered supporters by providing their contact
details and making a positive decision by signing up
through:
Local recruitment by CLPs, aliates and elected
representatives
Online registration through national, regional and local
party sites
National campaign technology to acilitate registered
supporters schemes or every CLP
The Registered Supporters Scheme would be based
on individuals making a positive decision to sign up as
supporters by completing a paper or on-line orm.
It would not displace or hinder less ormal ways o relating
to a wider group o supporters but would provide a
distinctive way in which strong supporters, who were not
prepared to join the party could make a commitment to
support us.
The best community organisation and supporters groups
are locally led and locally organised but the party should
provide tools that enable local elected representatives and
campaigners build, manage and communicate with their
local supporters and oer them the opportunity to sign up
as registered supporters; as well as share best practice and
ideas across CLPs on what makes a successul registered
supporters scheme.
This technology must enable local parties to recruit
supporters, track their involvement, communicate with
them and encourage their participation.
It is important that individual campaigners and elected
representatives own their supporters lists and the national
or regional parties will not use them or national email
distribution or undraising.
As the system develops powerul organising tools will
be added to allow event organisation, local donation
tracking, communication management and the sharing o
inormation between local parties, regions and the national
party, and target through selections rom list o supporters
or mailing through integration with Contact Creator and
Print Creator.
In addition it will allow local parties to upload and manage
both existing ad hoc lists o supporters and lists o
supporters they have built up on social media sites like
Facebook and Twitter. This inevitably will lead to local
parties having a sophisticated tool to help manage their
member and registered supporter volunteers to maximise
their value to campaigns.
It is also important that local campaigns are able to
add supporters details manually and not rely on their
supporters going online to join their campaigns, e.g. details
collected at a street stall must be able to be uploaded tothe registered supporters scheme.
As part o bench-marking or CLPs and elected
representatives, CLPs should be expected to hold at least
one policy consultation event a year open to Registered
Supporters and MPs should be expected to host at least
one event a year or them.
In order to saeguard the membership oer, there should
be no ormal rights or Registered Supporters in CLPs
or Branches, only local members and aliates are to be
involved in selections and the ormal duties o a BLP or CLP
but CLPs, Branches and elected representatives should be
encouraged to involve them in social and und-raising
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events, campaigns and policy consultations, so, along
with party members, there is a mechanism or their voice,
and the voice o party members, to be heard by the party
leadership.
In order to avoid any arguments over individuals rights,
a supporter shall become a Registered Supporter o the
national Labour Party only when his or her details are
recorded on Contact Creator.
Registered Supporters will also be encouraged to join the
Labour Party at the low local join rate o 15.
The NEC would also reserve the right to reuse or withdraw
Registered Supporter status rom any individual whose
aims or activities were deemed inconsistent with those o
the party.
Increasing involvement o levy payingmembers o aliated Trade Unions andmembers o our socialist societiesTogether with Registered Supporters, Trade Union
members represent the wider society that needs to be
heard in our party alongside our individual membership.
Members o aliated Trade Unions who are not individual
party members should have the right to apply or
Conerence Visitors tickets on the same basis as members
and the expectation o regular contact and invitations to
events rom their local Labour Party.
The party wants to work with Trade Union and Socialist
Societies colleagues over the coming months to develop a
reciprocal ramework or communications across the Labour
movement between party members and trade union and
socialist society members.
Using new technology and other means o communications,
we want to work with the trade unions and Socialist
Society to develop a process whereby our CLPs are able
to keep in touch with and invite Trade Union levy payers
and socialist society members in their area to policy,
campaigning and social events, and where our nationally
aliated Trade Unions and Socialist Societies are able to
keep in touch with and invite Labour Party members to
their events.
Recommendation:
The party will work with Trade Union and Socialistn
Society colleagues over the coming months to develop
a reciprocal ramework or communications across the
Labour movement between party members and Trade
Union and Socialist Society members.
Embedding community organising methodsin the way we workThroughout the submissions it is clear the party and its
stakeholders believe there is much to be learned rom the
approach to community organising in the US and rom
organisations in the UK such as London Citizens and Trade
Unions. Central to our mission to engage with, represent
and campaign in our local communities is work to:build relationships in local communities
work with local people and groups to campaign or
change on the behal o local people.
Community organising is central to the role o our elected
representatives and local campaigners but also crucial to
our electoral chances.
Many o our elected representatives, candidates and local
campaigners are already antastic community organisers.
Others would welcome support, training and direction in
this area in the orm o best practice rom their peers and
rom organisations with expertise. It is also important that
we embed minimum standards across the Labour Party
so that in every constituency we are engaged with and
campaigning or our local communities.
As well as peer-led training, there is much we can learn
rom other organisations who engage in community
Organising and community campaigning such as ouraliated Trade Unions and the Co-operative movement.
Recommendation:
The party will develop peer-led training and advice inn
community organising techniques or Labour elected
representatives and candidates. Our best community
organisers sharing their experiences with those who
want advice, training and support.
We will provide a series o standard models andn
guidelines or developing relationship networks,
identiying talent and key people and organising
community campaigns.
17
We will work with local parties to ensure there aren
minimum standards or all local parties and elected
representatives to ensure community campaigns are
established and community engagement happens
through campaign contracts and ideas such as:
Annual survey/consultation exercise with localn
residents and community groups
Annual campaign(s) ollowing on rom survey resultsn
Increasing our work with our aliated Trade unionsn
and the Co-operative movement to share expertise and
develop training partnerships to enhance Community
Organising in the Labour Party.
Improving and continue to deliver the Communityn
Organising Training Academy Module across the
country by working with community organising partnersand experts in this eld.
Candidate Contracts or all electedrepresentativesLabours elected representatives and candidates must be
hard-working, in constant contact with their communities
and active as leaders o their local parties, while meeting
high standards o conduct in all aspects o their work.
Our elected representatives hold a vast array o posts in
wide ranging circumstances so making a one size ts all
model would be inappropriate. However, part o the role
o any candidate and Labour elected representative is to
campaign and engage with local communities throughout
the year. Many o our elected representatives excel at this
work but it is also important that local parties make clear
their expectations o anyone who is privileged to take on
the role o Labour Party elected representative.
Recommendation:
Rule changes will be made to require all our candidatesnand elected representatives to sign a Candidate
Contract.
A Candidate Contract will consist o some agreedn
mandatory elements, including the two per cent elected
representative levy on total salary, but be locally
determined and relevant to type o seat and the post
the candidate or elected representative holds. The
party will thereore produce models or local parties to
adapt.
Any Candidate Contract is to include specic andn
measurable targets or campaign and community
engagement activity all year round and locally should
be taken into account as part o the re-selection
process.
Northern Ireland
The growth o party membership in Northern Ireland is
very welcome and we note a ew submissions have been
received, including a submission rom our NI CLP, that have
requested the party agree to stand candidates or election
in Northern Ireland.
Recommendation:
The party will continue discussions with our NI CLP, andn
enter into discussions with our sister parties the SDLP
and Irish Labour Party.
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Refounding Partnershipinto PowerTo build a vibrant movement capable o winning the next
general election, Labour needs to transorm our policy
making, because that is essential to rebuilding trust and
support rom members, trade unionists and voters.
We want to open up our process o making policy, both
to give party members much greater say and to enable
supporters and voters to eed in their ideas, so that the
party leadership keeps in much closer touch with public
opinion and public pressure or new policies.
The case or reormSubmissions were clear that the undamental aim o our
policy making process should be to support the party indeveloping a policy programme which appeals to, and
connects with, the electorate. Since 1997, we have done
this through Partnership in Power our system o policy-
making.
When introduced, the Partnership in Power reorms were
the most signicant set o changes to our policy making
processes in our history. Designed to ensure the party
and the Labour Government worked together to develop
new policy and implement it in Government, Partnership in
Power can claim signicant successes. More members have
been involved in policy making than was ever the case
beore 1997 and we produced election winning maniestos
in both 2001 and 2005.
The Partnership into Power process was designed to
provide the party with a more deliberative and consensual
way o making policy. We remain committed to this model
o policy making.
But we need to be rank about the weaknesses in our
present system.
Too ew members eel a part o the process. We must
recognise that there is a degree o cynicism amongst some
in the party about how PiP has operated in recent years.
Some members have reported that they have elt it has not
been worthwhile participating - whether it is sending in
their policies ideas, attending meetings or getting involved
in discussions while others have called or a greater level
o eedback on the outcome o their representations.
In a party whose values are rooted in democracy,
equal opportunity and inclusivity we must ensure that
transparency and accountability are at the heart o our
policy-making.
We must also look outwards to the public. Too oten we
have looked inwards, distracting us rom the task o serving
the country. Giving a greater say to our members cannot
be at the expense o orgetting the British public. We need
to reach out, to ensure that our policy making is rooted in a
reinorced bond with the public. We want to undamentally
reorm our policy making process, to change the National
Policy Forum and Annual Conerence, and to provide new
opportunities or online policy consultation and interaction
with members and supporters.
Through such change we can create a reormed policy
making process one which is more responsive to our
members and the public, which reaches out to our
communities, amilies and workplaces.
By harnessing the enthusiasm and expertise that exists
both within and without o our party we can reound our
policy making process so that it supports us in producing an
innovative policy programme which once again commands
the support o the British public and allows us to ormulate
a maniesto to win the next election.
Involving all our party members inpolicy makingBeing a member o our party brings with it the right to a
voice in our policy making process a principle that must be
honoured in any reorm, as we recognise that we all joined
the Labour Party to make a contribution.
Submissions to Reounding Labour were clear that
members value their voice in the policy making process and
wish or our processes to be improved to enhance this say.
The sense is that the current processes do not always do
justice to the dedication and eort o the members who
involve themselves in meetings, who submitting their ideas
and who take part in policy discussions across the country.
Throughout the last cycle o Partnership into Power there
was eedback that those members who do get involved in
the process usually enjoy doing so. But others are unsure
about the process whether that is due to a lack o clarity
about how to get involved or scepticism about the value o
doing so.
We need to ensure that a reormed policy making system
gives more o a voice to party members, that it is more
accessible and responsive to them and does justice to their
eorts when they take the time to get involved in policy
discussions and send in their ideas. We need to improve
transparency and inormation so that members know what
19
has happened to their submissions.
We need to open up the policy making process by
harnessing technology to allow or a more inclusive and
interactive discussion, in terms o discussion o documents
produced or consideration but also in terms o dealing with
current issues which arise outside the current cycle o long-
term policy development.
By re-establishing the original stated purpose o PiP the
a deliberative, consensual system which ensures members,
local parties, aliates as well as other stakeholders
have the opportunity to shape uture policy - we can
reinvigorate the party and tap in to the energy and
enthusiasm o our members.
Supporting membership engagement
We need to open up the policy making process, to
give members more opportunity to get involved in our
discussions as well as making it as easy as possible or
them to do so.
Greater clarity is necessary to so that members understand
how to get involved in the system and what it involves.
To accompany any new system, clear inormation on
structures, with clarity on how to engage with them and
what you can expect when you do will be provided.
We must also make it easier or members to get involved
in the debates, either as individuals, or via their local party
meetings.
A more responsive process
For those people who do take the time to get involved
in the policy making process, issues o transparency and
eedback are key.
Feedback rom national to local level and back again is
essential to avoid perceptions that submissions to the
policy making process sink without trace. We need todo justice to the time and eort members make when
participating in policy discussions.
Recognising limited resources, a technological solution
will be introduced in the orm o an online tracking system
to provide members with better quality eedback. This
will allow submitting bodies to see the status o their
submission, with NPF representatives on relevant policy
commissions empowered to, and responsible or, providing
more detailed eedback. Such a solution will urther help to
strengthening the link between members and their elected
representatives on the NPF.
Harnessing online technology to encourage debate
Modernising the way we discuss and agree policy means
taking advantage o new technology in a way which
improves current processes and also opens up new
avenues o engagement.
Reaching out to the publicOur strength as a movement comes not just rom our
politicians at the top but rom our relationships on the
ground - the way we build networks between party
members and the public; in our communities, in workplaces
and across civil society. Whi le our reorms must rightly
improve the way that members interact with our policy
making system that alone is not enough: we cannot merely
talk to ourselves. Meeting our aim o delivering a policy
programme which the British people can believe in and
support means developing a system which supports us in
reaching out and listening to the public. We need ideas that
are based on real conversations with the public. The best
policy does not come rom a ew people locked in a room; it
comes rom conversations, on the doorstep, at the school
gate, in our workplaces.
Every week, in constituencies up and down the country,
Labour members talk to people on the doorstep or over
the phone. Some constituencies also regularly survey voter
opinion on key issues. It is through such contact that we
refect the concerns o the public.
We will strengthen our policy making processes to ensure
that ongoing dialogue with the public is encouraged and
where possible rewarded. Those who do the most in their
communities and workplaces should be recognised in our
processes.
Building policy networks
We need to open up our policy-making, to reach out toBritain and to the voices who have so much to oer
us. Engagement with external organisations should be
encouraged as it helps to inorm our thinking through as
wide a range o views as possible and also aids the party in
explaining our current thinking. We must do more to reach
out to charities, community groups, workplaces, aliates,
businesses and civil society both at national level but also
at local level.
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Working on policy issues
Opening up our policy-making processes and making our
system more transparent, accountable and responsive
to members and the public alike means reorming our
institutions and the way we make policy in the medium and
short term. We need to reorm how we make policy, and the
mechanisms we use to do so, so that they support us in
our aim: producing an innovative policy platorm which will
refect the priorities o Britain.
Working on current issues
In a policy making process which is geared towards
developing a policy programme or the next general
election, particular challenges are posed by issues which
arise outside o the structure cycle o policy development.
In addition to their work drawing up policy documents
or consideration by the NPF, policy commissions are
responsible discussing topical issues as they arise. They
provide a orum or discussion between the Shadow
Cabinet and the party, discussing the submissions they
have received. They report on this work in their Annual
Reports to Conerence each year and the submissions
they receive inorm the documents they produce. However
this ormat has diculties when it comes to dealing with
current issues.
Policy commissions need to continue to discuss
submissions as they arrive but there is room or improving
the current system so that members can more easily
contribute to the policy discussion. Online technology will
be used to provide a orum or party members to make
their views known on issues, with submissions and views
eeding in to the relevant commission.
Stronger, better policy making institutions
Our policy-making relies on a number o institutions. TheJoint Policy Committee (JPC) steers the process, providing
strategic oversight; the National Policy Forum (NPF)
discusses and agrees the policy documents and, through
the NPF representatives, oversees engagement with the
wider party; and the policy commissions, o which there
are currently six, have responsibility or drating policy
documents, considering submissions, and maintaining an
ongoing dialogue throughout the year. The smooth running
o these institutions is vital to the health and success o
PiP.
In reorming PiP we must consider how best to engage
members with the work o the NPF. The structure o the
current cycle whereby policy is developed via a rolling
three year programme has been an issue o debate
throughout the Reounding Labour consultation; as has
the way in which CLPs and members engage with the
institutions and the policy documents they produce.
Members require clarity in the process. A reormed PiP
process should be accompanied by a clear structures and
new inormation, with clarity about how party members
can engage with the policy-making bodies and what they
can expect when they do so.
The National Policy Forum
The National Policy Forum plays a vital role in our policy
discussions, being the main vehicle or policy debate and
discussion. In the past, such as with the 2004 Warwick
agreement, it has succeeded in producing a policy
programme around which all members can unite. However,
the Reounding Labour consultation has revealed that
members want to be more involved in discussions on policy
which take place in an NPF which is more responsive,
credible and transparent.
The NPF needs to be reinvigorated, with meaningul policy
discussion at meetings and a strong link to the wider Party
and Annual Conerence.
There is a desire or NPF meetings to be as transparent as
possible with better eedback to the party in terms o what
is discussed and outcomes. We will also help to harness
the expertise o socialist societies by allowing their
representatives to attend NPF meetings.
The success o Partnership into Power is dependent on
eective and sustained engagement with all those who
have a part to play in it. Submissions have ocused on the
importance o this principle applying at all levels, rom
local parties engaging in the annual work programmes
o the policy commissions, through to ministerial, andshadow ministerial, engagement with the NPF, its policy
commissions and the Joint Policy Committee.
At all levels o the policy-making process there is a
desire or greater clarity on what is required rom all our
stakeholders. NPF representatives themselves have
refected on the need to have clearly set out guidelines in
terms o their roles and responsibilities.
NPF representatives should play a greater role in dealing
with the submissions which come rom party members.
The introduction o a new online audit trail could include
giving representatives responsibility or the more detailed
eedback to individual submissions, with technology
21
developed in order to make this as easy as possible or
them. This would help to oster a stronger link between
representatives and their constituencies.
There should be greater shadow ministerial engagement
with all our PiP institutions the NPF, JPC and policy
commissions as well as at local and regional level through
policy orums and discussions.
NPF representatives need to be empowered to
communicate with each other better. A new intranet will
be created to allow NPF representatives to communicate
with each other. And policy submissions, as well as papers
and reports, will be provided to representatives through the
use o technology, keeping them better inormed on work
across PiPs institutions.
Policy Commissions
Policy Commissions have a vital role as the bodies
responsible or drating policy documents as well as
being where members and aliates submissions are
considered initially. Policy Commissions currently play an
important role in carrying orward contemporary issues
rom one Conerence to the next, and in scrutinising the
implementation o policy in government.
Generally Policy Commissions work well as a orum or
debate and consideration but there is a sense that their
workings are sometimes opaque and distant rom the
wider membership. More needs to be done to improve
understanding o their role, their engagement with the
membership and in terms o reporting on their work.
Policy Commissions should meet regularly, and should hear
evidence rom external organisations as well as members
and aliated organisations. Commissions need to be
accessible and transparent. Policy commissions should drat
documents in a ormat which encourages engagementand interaction. As well as improving the documents sent
out or consultation, we will reorm the way commissions
respond to the ideas they receive. A new, online system
o submission and eedback will be developed in order to
improve members understanding o, and ability to make
submissions to, the policy commissions. They will report
on their work in their Annual Reports to Conerence every
year.
Under the current system, those NPF representatives
who are not elected on to policy commissions do not have
day-to-day involvement with their work. Any new system
will allow or all NPF representatives to be able to attend
meetings o one o the commissions and play a more active
role in policy deliberation, with those not elected directly
allocated to attend meetings ex-oco. For this to work,
policy commissions will need clear work programmes and
meeting timetables, in appropriate venues with the proper
notice and sta resource.
Joint Policy Committee
As the body with responsibility or the direction o PiP, and
as the link between the NEC, NPF and the Shadow Cabinet,
it is the JPCs role to steer the policy-making process and
set priorities or debate. It also has an important role to
play in setting procedural guidelines and recommending
which issues require discussion. A reinvigorated committee
must see regular and sustained engagement rom all
stakeholder representatives - Shadow Cabinet, CLPs, trade
unions and aliates.
Annual Conerence
Conerence is our sovereign policy making body. It is also
the most important party gathering in the political calendar
and provides a signicant opportunity to project Labours
message directly to the wider public. Documents drawn
up by the NPF are submitted to Annual Conerence or
agreement and its policy debates take place around these
and the commissions Annual Reports.
There is a strong desire or Conerence to retain its position
at the apex o our internal democracy. However, the
Reounding Labour consultation has revealed a widespread
sense that the present conerence arrangements and
structures could be improved.
We need to improve the link between the debates and
decisions taken yearly at Annual Conerence and the
work done throughout the year in the NPF and also on
the doorstep where our members hold thousands o
conversations on policy.
The role o Conerence in our policy making process needs
to be enhanced so that delegates eel that they can
genuinely infuence policy by attending.
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Refounding support forour membersEvery members contribution needs to be recognised and
valued, whether it is just a non-active nancial contribution
or an active contribution all our members are our greatest
resource. Member recruitment and involvement should be
local priorities or CLPs, regions and the national party.
Training and developmentAn extensive number o submissions highlighted the need
or the Party to continue to invest in the talents and skills
o its members.
In addition to expanding and developing the trainingcurrently oered through Train ton Win, the Labour Party
Training Academy and webinar programme, submissions
have highlighted key people who should be trained to help
deliver the training to their peers and local parties, and
have identied party roles with key responsibilities or
which specic training should be made available, maybe
compulsory in some instances.
The Future Candidate Programme (FCP) which aims to
train a new generation o community and party activists to
be Labour candidates and campaigners o the uture, has
stakeholder support and should become an annual xture.
It is a vital programme to ensure we support and encourage
community campaigners rom dierent backgrounds and
rom under-represented groups, such as working-class
women. The Labour Party must refect the communities
we seek to serve and the Trade Unions have a key role to
play in identiying and encouraging their members to come
orward as Labour Party candidates and thereore their role
in the FCP should be ormalised.
Recommendation:
Rule changes will be made that make training orn
agents and treasurers compulsory.
Training and regular communications will be maden
available or CLP ocers, especially CLP Chairs and
Secretaries, annually post AGMs, where proper support
and advice should be provided, along with a mentor
system. The scope o this training will cover team
building so ocers are best placed to build local teams.
There will be training provided or newly electedn
councillors each year ater elections and there will be
opportunities or members and councillors to take part
in post election eedback and analysis sessions.
A training programme or new members delivered byn
webinar will be rolled out as an extension o the partys
web based training oer.
An equality and diversity training module will ben
developed and run through the Training Academy, and
all CLP ocers should be encouraged to attend.
The party will allow local organisers access to trainingn
similar to the Labour Party Trainee Organiser scheme
through a national Labour Party Local Organiser
Programme.
A volunteer orce o member and aliate trainers willn
be recruited to deliver training to their own local parties
or peers within the party. This volunteer orce will
receive Train the Trainers training as well as the
training modules and resources rom the party to help.
The Future Candidates Programme should become ann
annual training event, and those who are part o the
Future Candidate Programme, along with selected
candidates will be allocated a mentor and xed training
rom the Labour Party.
The role o Trade Unions within the Future Candidatesn
Programme will be ormalised to ensure their members
are gaining places on the Programme.
Trade Unions should also work with the Labour Party ton
deliver their own similar Future Candidates Programme
supported by and recognised by the Labour Party.
As a party more work will be done to promote then
existence o Merit Awards, Long Service Awards and
Honorary membership, and develop new ways or
rewarding hard work and innovation as we need to
recognise more the achievements o our members, their
innovations and their commitment.
Best practice too will be shared more eectively and atn
Annual Conerence local parties should be asked to
submit examples o their excellent work in submissions
or awards.
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New and improved technology orcommunicationMembersnet was launched at Conerence in 2006 and in
the proceeding ve years has taken huge steps both in
terms o the unctionality that has been added to it and
the number o party members using it.
Membersnet unctions, as diverse as loans and donations
reporting to events organisation to Annual Conerence
nominations to internal messaging to blogging, are used by
a huge number o party members up and down the country
59,000 members having logged on in the last six months
alone.
Over the last year, 3,300 events have been created by
over 400 CLPs; 15,000 private messages have been sent
through the system and over 100,000 donated to local
candidates through its local undraising tools.
However, it is clear that many members nd the system
hard to use. It looks and eels dated and in the process o
making so much inormation available, the homepage has
become cluttered and the layout dicult to navigate due
to competing and equally important elements. The site will
thereore be reviewed rom a user experience perspective,
including user testing and evaluation, in order to revamp
the site with the aim o making it much easier to use.
A clear message to come out o the Reounding Labour
consultation process is that access to membership
inormation, and an inability to communicate with members
outside o the established local party structures makes it
very dicult or individual members to meet and organise
independently o established meetings and activities. It
is also dicult or role holders to share best practise and
learn rom the work o other ocers in the same position.
There is thereore overwhelming support rom partymembers or a better inrastructure that allows them to
orm inormal groups with each other and communicate
with each other NEC/NPF to members; ocer to ocer;
new member to new member; young member to young
member; ocer to member; MP/Councillor to members and
supporter; and so on as well as gain easy, simple access
to local party and national contacts, party resources, sign
up to events, discuss policy, share their ideas and best
practice. In addition, we need to build a communication
system that allows sta to deal promptly and eectively
with member email communications.
In addition the party needs a place or the views o
members on current issues and policy topics to be ed to
the party leadership and policy-making process, through
innovative ideas which allow us to get a better sense o
what both our members and supporters are thinking and
saying about topical arising issues.
Recommendation:
The party will invest in a new online platorm andn
undertake urgent work to develop a key tool or
communication between members and a launch pad or
new orms o organisation.
Using the range o new media platorms available to us,n
we will develop new ways to enable members to
communicate in order to encourage participation rom
members who may not be active in their local parties.
Membership subscriptionsRecruiting and retaining members is an important unction
o the Labour Party. Since the General Election, we have
recruited an additional 65,000 members to the party which
have substantially strengthened our organisation and
political capacity.
Many o the submissions received, ocused on ensuring
that our membership ees refected our political values o
equality and airness and enabling the maximum number
o people to join and stay involved.
While it was recognised that the annual membership
income provided nancial stability to the party, members
were keen to ensure that cost was not a barrier to getting
involved.
A number o submissions called or a lower local join
rate that would encourage local parties to undertakerecruitment campaigns. There was however, an
understanding that some members were in a position to
pay and that this should continue to be encouraged - 21
per cent o all o the members recruited since the General
Election have paid above the standard rate.
Members were keen to ensure that the dierent
membership rates were clearly explained on all materials
and on the website to make it easier or members to nd
the rate most appropriate to their own circumstances. In
particular that we promote monthly direct debit where ever
possible to spread the cost o membership.
Submissions also concentrated on the need to encourage
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a party or the new generation
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a party or the new generation
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young people to join the Labour Party, suggestions
included lowering the age o membership rom 15 to 14,
and recognition that once young members had joined the
party oten on a special introductory rate then it was
important that the cost should increase gradually.
A number o submissions raised the need or the party to
be the most welcoming political party to our Armed Forces,
and ormer members o the Armed Forces, and thereore
wanted a low membership join ee o 1, as well as
national support or the move to establish a Labour Friends
o the Forces group with the aim o becoming an aliated
socialist society. It was recognised that our party would
benet rom their unique experience and insight.
MPs, MSPs, Peers, AMs and WAMs currently pay the
parliamentarian rate, which is double the standard
membership rate. However there are now a number o
other senior representatives such as directly elected
Mayors and GLA members who currently only pay the
standard rate o membership. To ensure airness thereore
a new Representative rate will be applied to all current
and uture elected ocials, including Peers but excluding
councillors.
Submissions also commented on the importance o
recruiting individual trade union members to the Labour
Party. It thereore agreed we maintain the reduced rate or
Trade Union members and allow Trade Union members to
join at the new low local join rate.
Recommendation:
Maintain the current membership rules but amend to
refect the ollowing changes:
Create a lower local join rate o 15 to help localn
parties and aliates carry out recruitment campaigns.
Extend this local join rate to registered supporters andn
trade union members.
Extend the 1 join rate to current and ormer membersn
o the armed orces.
Replace the Parliamentarian rate with the Electedn
Representatives rate and extend this rate to all current
and uture elected representatives, including Peers but
excluding councillors.
Reduce the party joining age to 14 years o age.n
Change the youth rate to 1 or ages 14 to 19 and 12n
(1 a month) or ages 20 to 26 with young members
moving to the reduced rate at the age o 27 or one
year.
Members recruited through the lower local join rate, ton
aid retention, will be renewed at the reduced rate in
year one and will then move to the most appropriate
rate in year two.
Continue to promote the concept o paying according ton
income so that those that are willing to pay more or
membership are able to do so.
Promote membership rates clearly online and in alln
materials and promote monthly direct debits where
ever possible to spread the cost o membership.
Local Party fnances and the creation o anNEC Diversity and Democracy Fund and anNEC Local Campaigns and Improvement Fund
Currently CLPs receive a share o membership income thatis directly related to the number and type o members
they have which mean that the larger constituencies get
signicantly more than the smaller constituencies.
We also know that membership o the Labour Party
strongly ollows demographic lines and as such many
CLPs benet rom these bigger payments simply by virtue
o their geographical location rather than via any local
recruitment campaigns.
Prior to the payment o membership ees, national
deductions are taken or the European Election Levy and
the Election Insurance payment these two together cost
every CLP currently 665 per year. This means:
Following these deductions 116 CLPs get less than
445 in cash which is less than enough to cover the
cost o Contact Creator.
Last year 25 CLPs received no cash payment as their
payment was less than the 665 Euro levy and
insurance charge. Instead they owe Head Oce money
and or many this means an annual accruing level o
debt.
Over 200 CLPs regularly do not purchase Contact Creator
a base requirement or all CLPs. In paying Head Oce
or Contact Creator, CLPs also pay 30,000 in VAT
charges that cannot be reclaimed.
In addition many smaller CLPs struggle to meet the costs
o sending a delegate to Conerence each year. 70 CLPs
have not sent a delegate to conerence in the last three
years.
Our research has shown that there is a strong correlation
between the amount o money a CLP has and their
attendance at Annual Conerence.
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The need or local organisers and incentivesto support campaigning CLPsThe case or local organisers, covering as many seats as
possible, is well made and a number o submissions wanted
the Party to invest signicantly in local organisers, as well
provide incentives as a way to support local campaigning.
Thereore there is a new proposal or changing the way
unds rom membership subscriptions are allocated to CLPs
which will operate rom January 2012.
The proposal will:
Roll into the new scheme the costs o the European
Election Levy, the Election Insurance payment, Contact
Creator and the cost o one delegate pass or Annual
Conerence or every CLP in the country the CLP
package, a Minimum Guarantee or CLPs.
Write o historic debt owed to the party rom CLPs or
the non-payment o Election Insurance or the Euro levy
and debt rom past General Elections.
Create a airer distribution o cash payments to CLPs
that ensures that every CLP receives a cash payment in
addition to the package outlined above.
Recognise that there should be some discrepancy in
cash payments to account or the diering
administration costs associated with being a larger CLP.
Have transitional arrangements in place to temper the
eects o the changes over two years rather than one,,
with a membership email and number to contact so CLPs
can ask questions and enquire how the changes will
aect them.
Create two new NEC administered unds: a) The NEC
Diversity and Democracy Fund and b) the NEC Local
Campaigns and Improvement Fund.
The detail o the proposal
1. Every CLP will receive a cash payment based on thenumber o members in that CLP
CLPs would continue to receive a cash payment every
two months. This cash payment will be worked out by
multiplying the number o paid up members in that CLP by
1.50. So or example i a CLP has 300 members, it will
receive a 450 cash payment.
2. A minimum guarantee or every CLP and no
national deductions
Alongside a cash payment every CLP will receive ree
access to Contact Creator and one ree pass to Annual
Conerence. In addition, the party will no longer deduct
the Euro levy and Elections insurance (665) rom CLP
membership subscriptions, but account centrally or these
items out o membership subscription payments.
3. Transitional arrangements will be in place or year
one (2012)
As we move to create more equal payments to CLPs there
are by denition winners and some losers. In order to help
CLPs with nancial planning, transitional arrangements
will be in place or the rst year o operation o the new
system. For those CLPs getting less under the new scheme
their loss would be mitigated in year 1 by paying back hal
their losses in addition to their new cash payment. These
transitional costs are to be met rom the sums allocated to
the NEC administered unds in the rst year.
4. The Creation o NEC administered Diversity
& Democracy Fund and Local Campaigns and
Improvement Fund
The new proposal will leave unds available to allow
or the creation o two NEC administered unds an NEC
Diversity and Democracy Fund and a Local Campaigns
and Improvement Fund. The amounts placed into the
NEC und