Re Founding Labour to Win

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a party or the new generation



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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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Refounding Labour a party or the new generation

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Refounding Labour a party or the new generation


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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.

15

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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16

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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18

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.

20 21


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22

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.

23

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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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

Re Founding Labour to Win

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