Draft rules for the Labour Party’s Brighton and Hove Local Campaign Forum (LCF)

Below are the draft rules — proposed in March 2017 after meetings of the NEC-imposed steering committee created on the recommendation of the still-unpublished NEC investigation into the now-disbanded Brighton, Hove and District Labour Party; the body text in bold highlight key variations from Chapter 12 of the Labour Party Rule Book 2017:

BRIGHTON AND HOVE LABOUR — LOCAL CAMPAIGN FORUM (Draft Rules for Steering Committee)

Objects

1. To co-ordinate the activities of CLPs and branches within the area for the purpose of securing the return of Labour representatives to the city council (‘the council’).

2. To work with the Labour Group to organise opportunities for individual members, branches, trade unions, affiliated organisations and community organisations to enter into dialogue with the Labour Group. To work with the Labour Group when they are setting current local government policy and future local programme and manifesto (as outlined in Clause VIII)

3. To compile a panel of candidates in accordance with the provisions of chapter 5 of the national rules of the Party.

4. To undertake activities within the area for the purpose of new candidate recruitment.

5. The LCF shall seek to contest all seats in each electoral area in consultation with the CLPs concerned.

6. To coordinate and manage city wide campaigning materials.

7. To appoint up to six observers to the Labour Group on the City Council, at least one to be appointed by each CLP Executive within the LCF area.

Clause IV. Membership

1. The membership of the LCF shall be focused around campaign delivery, the recruitment and selection of candidates and the development of opportunities for wider engagement with council issues.

2. LCF voting members shall include:

1. the leader and deputy leader of the Labour group and up to two other group officers as determined by the Labour group (where such Labour Groups exist), (4)

2. the chair (or substitute) and branch executive member with campaigns responsibility from each branch in the city (34)

3. the chair and campaign co-ordinator of each of the CLPs covering the city (6)

4. One delegate from each trade union, Co-operative or other affiliated organisation that has appointed delegates to that CLP. (10)

5. the chair (or nominee) of each Forum (inter alia: Womens, Youth, Disabled, BAME, LGBT) operating within the city

[total approx 60 attendees]

3. The following are members ex-officio (without voting rights):

1. any local and regional organisers, (1)

2. all sitting Labour Group councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council (23)

3. any sitting MP, MEP, PCC and / or PPC (3)

[total max 87 attendees]

4. The local Party should work to ensure that the membership of the LCF is representative of the communities in which it will work.

Clause V. Officers and Executive Committee

1. The officers and Executive Committee shall be elected at the first meeting of the LCF and annually thereafter.

2. The Executive shall be a task focused body which will conduct the work of the LCF following the annual meeting.

3. The officers shall consist of a chair, secretary, treasurer and vice-chair. At least two of the officers shall be a woman.

4. This LCF is not an accounting unit of the Labour Party, and cannot be in future without the approval of the General Secretary. If this LCF were to be an accounting unit of the Party in the future, with regard to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Chair shall also be the deputy treasurer to be notified to the Electoral Commission. In exceptional circumstances, and with the prior approval of the General Secretary, a different person may be appointed.

5. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers, the leader, deputy leader, and up to two other officers of the Labour Group, Campaign Co-ordinator of each CLP and up to 5 members elected at the annual meeting into roles which the LCF deems needed (such as literature coordinators, Councillor search and selection group, fundraising)

6. One representative elected from delegates representing affiliated trade unions and other organisations affiliated to that constituency.

Accredited Party organizers and a representative of each sitting MP within the area may attend Executive Committee meetings without voting power.

Each Forum (inter alia: Womens, Youth, Disabled, BAME, LGBT) operating within the city may send one attendee without voting power to co-ordinate their work with the LCF.

Clause VI. Meetings

1. The annual meeting shall be held in May each year, or if such a meeting is not held, as soon as possible afterwards.

2. The LCF annual meeting shall discuss the strategy for campaigns to secure the best possible representation for Labour in the authority. The LCF shall have at least one meeting a year which shall be the annual meeting for the creation of a campaign strategy, the creation of a recruitment strategy, the creation of a selection strategy and to elect the executive.

3. The Executive Committee shall meet as required to deliver the best organisation and campaigns according to the strategy, to respond to emerging local issues and convene the selection panel.

4. Meetings should be conducted in a comradely fashion. No one entitled to attend shall be precluded because they cannot gain access to the meeting room for any reason. Harassment or intimidation of members on the basis of gender, age, sexual orientation and gender identity, disability or race is unacceptable.

5. The Executive Committee may hold sub-meetings and working parties to get specific tasks done and invite members with skills required to complete tasks to take part as and when needed.