Agenda for Clwyd West Constituency Labour Party meeting

Transcription

1 Agenda for Clwyd West Constituency Labour Party meeting Wednesday 25 th January, 7pm at Canolfan Dewi Sant Centre, Abergele 1) Apologies for Absence 2) Minutes of the last CLP meeting (22 July 2016) page 2 3) Minutes of the Executive Committee (Wednesday 5th October 2016) page 3 4) Minutes of the Executive Committee (Wednesday 4th December 2016) page 4 5) Minutes of 15th December 2016 (meeting to select local election candidates in priority Conwy wards of Clwyd West) 6) Conference Report (Mary Wimbury) 7) Officers Reports a) Chair b) Secretary c) Treasurer d) Vice Chair e) Vice Chair (Membership) f) Women s Officer 8) Branch Reports a) Abergele b) Colwyn Bay c) Ruthin 9) Welsh Labour Business a) Review of the Welsh policy process (we can submit comments by 31 January 2017) b) Contemporary Resolutions and Rule Changes We may submit one motion or topic which is either not substantively addressed in the reports to Conference of either the Wales Policy Forum or Welsh Executive Committee or which has arisen since the publication of those reports providing that all motions shall deal with either Matters within the competence of the National Assembly for Wales or Internal organisation and other administrative affairs of the Party in Wales. One proposal for a motion has been received see page 9. c) Contemporary Issues We are entitled to submit one Contemporary Issue. Conference will select one from CLPs and one from affiliates, which will then be passed to the Wales Policy Forum for detailed consideration. A report on their work will then be brought to the Welsh Labour Conference 2018.The title of the Contemporary Issue must not exceed more than ten words, but can be supported by a statement of up to 200 words to explain the issues behind it. One proposal for a contemporary issue has been received see page 10. 1

2 d) Nominations for Standing Orders Committee and Auditors e) Election of delegates to Welsh Labour Conference, which will be held in Venue Cymru, Llandudno on the weekend of the 24-26th March We are entitled to two delegates, one of whom must be a woman. We can also appoint a Youth Delegate under the age of 27 (who may be a man providing that one of our other delegates is a woman). Note: our delegates in 2016 were Debbie Corkish, Gillian Audley and Hannah Patrick (click links to read their reports). 10) Any Other Business notified to the Chair before the meeting Minutes of the Clwyd West CLP meeting on 22 July 2016 Clwyd West Labour Party met in two parts on 22nd July 2016, both chaired by Maggie Bradley (Vice Chair). There was a brief discussion of the rules for the leadership election and the inequity of members who joined since January 2016 not being allowed to vote or participate in the nomination meeting and yet registered supporters being allowed to vote. It was agreed that representations should be made to the party on the need to review the rules and have a consistent approach before any future Leadership election. We then considered the contemporary conference motion proposed by Colwyn Bay branch on Brexit. After a full discussion including the importance of standing up against racism in our communities following the Brexit vote the following motion was passed: Conference notes the UK referendum result on membership of the European Union. Conference believes that unless this result is overturned by the courts it must be accepted and the UK will need to withdraw from formal involvement in the European Parliament, Council of Ministers and European Commission Conference further believes that before Article 50 is invoked Parliament should agree a vision for how the UK will function outside the European Union which should reflect: an open, tolerant society with the UK continuing to cooperate with European institutions, the United Nations, the Commonwealth and other international bodies to secure peace, freedom, democracy, economic security and environmental protection. The freedom to live and work anywhere in Europe and to have protection for terms and conditions of employment is all the more essential when the economy is in the doldrums but concerted action to help weaker regions is also essential to avoid excessive migration People from elsewhere in the EU currently living in the UK should be able to stay here, and UK citizens currently living elsewhere in the EU should be able to stay there. Areas of the country and members of our communities that have suffered as a result of globalisation need the support of Government to ensure they have a chance to thrive including action to ensure local people are able to access local jobs With long term interest rates continuing to be close to zero, there has never been a better time for public infrastructure investment to boost our economy. The second part of the meeting was only open to those members who had joined before the freeze date of 12 January

3 There was an initial discussion about whether we should make a nomination as we had decided not to in the 2015 leadership contest. There was then a discussion regarding the merits of the two candidates Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith. Despite the time limit of 30 minutes there was an opportunity for many to speak. Our 2016 Assembly candidate and a number of newer members spoke in favour of Jeremy Corbyn. An experienced campaigner, all three 2015 parliamentary candidates in the room and one of our young members spoke in favour of Owen Smith. The vote was conducted by secret ballot and was 22 for Jeremy Corbyn and 16 for Owen Smith. Therefore Clwyd West Labour Party will be nominating Jeremy Corbyn. Members are of course free to make their own decision on how to vote in the actual leadership contest. The official candidate statements were not available at the meeting but have now been provided: Jeremy Corbyn Owen Smith Minutes of the Clwyd West Labour Party Executive Committee on Wednesday 5th October Present: Daryl Williams (Chair), Maggie Bradley (Vice-Chair), Mary Wimbury (Vice-Chair Membership), Tal Michael (Secretary), Mick Sams (Treasurer), Stephen Paterson (Colwyn Bay Branch) Apologies: Dave Hancock (Abergele Branch). Branch Meetings Abergele are focused on the forthcoming by-election (20 th October). Our candidate is Dave Hancock. The leaflets are being printed. Colwyn Bay no meeting planned. Stephen will organise. Ruthin Branch meeting planned for 4th October has been cancelled on the instructions of the Chair, Gillian Audley due to unresolved conflict within the branch. The meeting will now take place on Tuesday 1 st November. It was agreed that any further request to change the date will be refused and if necessary the meeting will be chaired by the CLP Chair or a Vice- Chair so that the election of a Chair and Secretary can take place which will resolve the conflict. Local Government Elections Conwy The deadline for self-nomination has been extended to 31 October but we still have very few nominations. The panel interviews will then need to take place, followed by an all-members Team Conwy meeting to confirm the panel. Selections can then proceed. It was agreed that we should aim for this meeting to be in mid-november and that it should also include a discussion on our manifesto. Key points raised in the discussion: The process should start with the Labour Group submitting their thoughts on the key priorities. Alongside this should be comparative data the main areas of spend and how this compares to the grant allocation and to the spend by other authorities in Wales. This should be supported by a commentary so we can see whether the administration we are a part of has decided to spend more or less on e.g. education, social services or promoting tourism and the reasons why 3

4 The discussion at the meeting mentioned above should focus on agreeing five key pledges to the electorate that we can put on our leaflets rather than every detail of what the council does. The number five isn t important but 3-6 key points would be good to agree and then candidates have a solid platform for what they say in their leaflets. The draft from the Labour Group should be circulated in advance so that members can contribute by as well as turning up on the day to give their view. Denbighshire Ellie Chard is secretary of the Denbighshire Local Campaign Forum and is communicating direct with members. Secretary has offered to provide information on our website and in our regular mailings and the application form has been provided but no other details. Gillian Audley is the Ruthin Branch representative on the Denbighshire Local Campaign Forum Executive. It was agreed that in both cases we need to think about individuals to approach to persuade to put themselves forward. Social Media Edith Bryan had offered to help with social media. It was agreed we should invite her take the lead on drafting a social media policy and to be co-opted onto the executive as Social Media Officer. It was also noted that Hannah Patrick was willing to continue as Youth Officer although she is now at Uni half the year. Finance The signatories on the bank account have now been changed to Mick, Daryl and Tal. Subscriptions to Welsh Labour are allegedly owing since 2014 Mick to confirm and if there is no evidence they have been paid, to pay them. Date of next meeting Wednesday 7 th December, 7.30pm in the Red Café Minutes of the Clwyd West Labour Party Executive Committee on Wednesday 4th December Present: Daryl Williams (Chair), Maggie Bradley (Vice-Chair), Mary Wimbury (Vice-Chair Membership), Tal Michael (Secretary), Mick Sams (Treasurer), Chris Brockley (Colwyn Bay Branch), Nigel Worth (Ruthin Branch) Cerren Richards (Abergele Branch). 1. Apologies for Absence: Ted Jenks, Rachel Lewington, Gillian Audley 2. Minutes of the last meeting (5/10/16) It had been agreed that we would pay for the leaflets for the Abergele Pensarn By-election. This has been done. Social media policy no reply from Edith so not clear if she is still willing to take on this role. Tal to send relevant documents to Chris Brockley so that we can at least get a draft together. 4

5 3. Reports from branches (a) Abergele No reps agreed for EC but Cerren Richards (present) is Chair and Alan Harwood is Secretary. They are planning an event for the new year there were only five at last meeting (very poor weather, but this similar to previous attempts to get the branch going) (b) Colwyn Bay (Chris Brockley is the rep and Lee Kennedy is deputy) Embryonic so far social next week is first event; all are welcome. Planning skills survey of members which will be shared with other branches. Is it possible to set up PayPal account for donations? Mick will try and do this once online banking has been set up. This is waiting on the Co-op Bank accepting details of all officers. (c) Ruthin (Rachel Lewington is the rep and Nigel Worth is deputy) Concerns re finance from Ruthin Branch that it would be better to have a separate bank account (as already exists) and a formal Treasurer. It would obviously be appropriate to secure control of the account anyway (and of the Abergele account which has been dormant for some years). Tal reminded Nigel that the decision at the Branch AGM had been that Kirsten Sedgwick would lead on Finance and Events so first step is for Kirsten and Mick to discuss working arrangements. Tal to put Mick and Kirsten in touch with each other. 4. Financial Report The current balance is 1,200 and there is income of around 100 per month on average. We apparently owe 140 annual affiliation to Welsh Labour. The 100 Club brings in 34 per month but there hasn t been a draw for some time. Trade Union donations tend to be focused on target seats nowadays so there is unlikely to be much income from that source. We need to fundraise but more important is teambuilding and developing activity although arranging fundraising events is one way to do this. The option of establishing branch budgets were discussed the difficulty is that the target wards are not necessarily in the places that have the most members. It was agreed that we should commit to supporting each of our key seat candidates and contribute to the cost of countywide literature. The principle that where branches raise money from fundraising initiatives they should be able to decide how those funds are spent was endorsed. Mick agreed to talk to each branch about their plans and aspirations with a view to bringing a paper back to the CLP for decisions. It was agreed to buy 100 Welcome Packs to be made available to branch members who volunteer to visit new members. Post Meeting Note: This is actually a template for us to design our own welcome pack. Draft has been circulated to members of the EC for comment but it really needs a Welsh Template to be developed by the Labour Party to explain Welsh Labour and delete references to regions. There is a Scottish template and Joe Lock has requested that a Welsh one is developed. 5

6 5. Report of Conwy Local Campaign Forum (Tal & Daryl) Tal had circulated a note re. meeting on 15 th December which is formally convened by the Executive Committee. It was agreed that the Abergele Pensarn selection should be first, then Mochdre, Glyn, Llysfaen, Towyn, Kinmel Bay, Colwyn, Llanddulas and Eirias. This is consistent with the promise rate and means selecting candidates for the four seats we won in 2012 before any others. It was also agreed that we should abide by the agreed freeze date of 23 May 2016 (i.e. in order to participate in the selections, members would need to have joined six months prior to this date). Councillors and Candidates to meet in January and prepare a document for the wider party, which will then agree the campaign priorities and outline manifesto at an all member meeting on 4 th February. Chris Brockley has offered to co-ordinate literature it is important that councillors and candidates prepare stories and collect photos that can be used. 6. Report of Denbighshire Local Campaign Forum (Gillian Audley) Gillian was unable to be present due to work commitments but had circulated a written report: The Forum met on the 16 th September The purpose of the meeting was to set the dates for the interview process and to discuss who might be able to be on the panel. Progress So Far All applicants for County Councillor were interviewed in late September and October. All successful applicants were notified by letter. Ann Jones took the role of Procedure Secretary for the selection process for Denbighshire. Ann Jones contacted all successful applicants to ask them to indicate which wards they would be interested in standing for by November 8 th. Ann Jones held a shortlisting meeting for the first round and applicants were notified that they had been shortlisted and for which wards. They were also given the date of the selection meetings relevant to them. All selection meetings in the first round of the process have been held and chaired by Ann Jones. The process is being conducted in stages. The first round are the winnable seats. Applicants have not been notified of any short listing in the second and third rounds. This will happen shortly. Gillian was thanked for her report. It was noted that the EC would at some point need to convene a meeting to select candidates in the Denbighshire wards of Ruthin Branch. It was agreed that members in both counties should be made aware of the opportunity to put candidates forward for Town and Community Councils and to ask for volunteers to co-ordinate this process for each of the Councils. 6

7 7. Future Meetings The focus is rightly on local activity at the moment, getting candidates selected and getting manifestos agreed. The CLP doesn t really fit what is needed for either we need local meetings and Conwy and Denbighshire wide meetings. If we are calling a CLP meeting it needs to have a clear purpose. It was suggested that members might welcome a business meeting just so that members have a chance to contribute to the discussions we had just had and be better informed/involved. Training was discussed this is being arranged by the Regional Officer, but might it be useful to have a session on the theme of Building Better Branches. It would be good to have speakers to encourage and inspire. It was agreed that we approach Emily Owens (new councillor in Llandudno) and Hannah Blythin to speak to a meeting on 3 rd March. Both would bring different experience to a discussion about building activity and achieving victory. Daryl to approach Hannah; Mary to approach Emily. Post Meeting Note: Having looked at the timetable for Welsh Labour Conference it does make sense to hold a CLP meeting in late January. This will enable us to: give our views on the Welsh policy process submit Contemporary Resolutions and rule changes, Contemporary Issues and Constitutional Amendments and nominations for Standing Orders Committee and Auditors Appointing delegates (we are entitled to two delegates, one of whom must be a woman) There will therefore be an all members meeting on 25 January 7pm at the Canolfan Dewi Sant Centre in Abergele. Minutes of 15th December 2016 This was a meeting to select local election candidates in priority Conwy wards of Clwyd West. Technically it was a series of joint meetings of the members in the relevant wards with members of the Clwyd West Executive Committee resident in the county of Conwy, convened by the Clwyd West Executive Committee. This procedure was agreed with the Regional Organiser Joe Lock in accordance with Section J of Appendix 4 of Labour Party Rules (page 74). Members Present: Glyn: Bill Bagnall, Simon Beech, Colin Mathews, Emma Willams Kinmel Bay: Alan Harwood Executive Members: Daryl Williams (Colwyn), Mary Wimbury (Llandrillo), Tal Michael (Llandrillo), Mick Sams (Llandrillo), Cerren Richards (Gele) Prospective Candidates present: Maggie Bradley (Llandrillo), Dave Hancock (Abergele), Chris Hughes (Glyn), Mark Jones (Colwyn), Paul Marl (Colwyn), Adrian Tansley (Mochdre) All members present were given a procedure note. This had been considered by the Executive Committee and was circulated in advance to the candidates. First we will check how many eligible members are present from each ward. If there are fewer than six, eligible members of the CLP Executive will participate in the votes. 7

8 The first decision will be on the shortlist. Where there are sitting councillors who are restanding for each available seat, it is permissible to only shortlist the sitting councillors. Otherwise it is necessary to shortlist at least one more person than the number of seats available. For multi member wards, at least one of the candidates must be a woman. If a member requests a secret ballot on the shortlist, there will be a secret ballot. Then we will move on to the selection meeting. The potential candidates can be invited to address the meeting for five minutes followed by questions. Procedural motion to proceed to ballot (If this motion is lost, this meeting shall either proceed to draw up a new short-list or agree dates for new short-listing and selection meetings). Although not mentioned in the rules, it would be sensible at this point to confirm the number of candidates to be selected. Ballot to select the candidate(s) for the ward (This must be carried out by eliminating secret ballot). Where there is more than one candidate to be selected, the ballot will be held in two parts. There will first be a vote to select a woman candidate. The second ballot will select the remaining candidate(s) from all shortlisted nominees with the exception of the woman candidate selected in the part one ballot. In the second ballot members may vote for as many as, or less than, the number of candidates required to be selected. No objections were raised to this process, but in light of the number of candidates and number of members present, it was agreed that each of the candidates be given an opportunity to address all of the members for five minutes on why they wanted to be a candidate and what they offer. The order of the selections had been agreed by the Executive Committee, based on majorities in the seats at the last election and/or the percentage Labour vote identified through campaigning. Abergele Pensarn (1 seat): Dave Hancock was proposed, seconded and shortlisted. No other candidates were proposed. It was agreed unanimously to formally select Dave Hancock as our candidate for Abergele Pensarn. Mochdre (1 seat): Adrian Tansley was proposed, seconded and shortlisted. No other candidates were proposed. It was agreed unanimously to formally select Adrian Tansley as our candidate for Mochdre. Glyn (2 seats): Maggie Bradley and Chris Hughes were proposed, seconded and shortlisted. No other candidates were proposed. It was agreed unanimously to formally select Maggie Bradley and Chris Hughes as our candidates for Glyn. Llysfaen (1 seat): Mark Jones was proposed, seconded and shortlisted. No other candidates were proposed. It was agreed unanimously to formally select Mark Jones as our candidate for Llysfaen. At this point it was noted that it was not known which seats remaining candidates would wish to stand for. It was therefore agreed that the selection of further candidates (including candidates for Town and Community Councils) should be determined by the relevant branch in the new year. 8

9 Welsh Labour Conference th March 2017,Venue Cymru,Llandudno CONTEMPORARY MOTION FORM or PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO RULES OR STANDING ORDERS Affordable Rents Conference notes: That there is a shortfall of affordable housing to meet the needs of individuals and families in Wales. That a significant number of people receive the Minimum Wage, pensions and other benefits and require Housing Benefit to support their rental costs whether living in Social or Private rented accommodation Conference recognises: That Social housing provision aims to provide affordable housing closely aligned to the Housing Benefit cap. That private rented properties are significantly higher than social provision and people, on low incomes and capped Housing Benefit, have to make up the shortfall from their impoverished income. That this situation presents as an inequitable society with a significant number struggling to make ends meet Conference believes In the importance of good quality affordable housing for all who live and work in Wales That it is important to work actively towards such achievement whether provided by social or private landlords Welsh Government and all its Local Authorities should seek to ensure that rents reflect the accommodation equitably and establish a Rents Assessor to ensure parity of private sector rental charges in line with social sector rentals. Proposed: Kathy Cook Seconded: Chris Brockley (If required please use the reverse of this form or attach a separate sheet which should be signed and dated.) Organisation: Secretary s signature: Please return to: Date: Standing Orders Committee Welsh Labour, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9HA no later than 12 noon on February 11th (the form can also be ed to Martin_eaglestone@labour.org.uk) Rules state: Affiliated organisations may submit one motion on a topic which is not substantively addressed in the reports to conference of either the WPF or the WEC or which has arisen since the publication of those reports providing that all motions shall deal with either: a) matters within the competence of the National Assembly for Wales or b) internal organisation and other administrative affairs of the Party in Wales. 9

10 Welsh Labour Conference th March 2017,Venue Cymru, Llandudno CONTEMPORARY ISSUE FORM Your organisation is entitled to submit ONE contemporary issue to Welsh Labour Conference The title of the Contemporary Issue must not exceed more than ten words, but can be supported by a statement of up to 200 words to explain the issues behind the Contemporary Issues. Following a Priorities Ballot at Conference, the successful resolutions (one selected by party units and the other by affiliated organisations) will be passed to the Welsh Policy Forum for more detailed consideration. A report on their work will then be brought to the Welsh Labour Conference If your organisation submits a Contemporary Issue they may still submit either a Contemporary Resolution or a Rule Change. Title of Contemporary Issue: Implementing the Real Living Wage in Wales Supporting Statement (may not exceed 200 words): The UK Government s so-called Living Wage rises to 7.50 per hour in April 2017 but the Living Wage Foundation calculates the real Living Wage at The Welsh Labour Government and Welsh Labour local authorities are aiming to deliver quality frontline services in a difficult financial environment but should do this in a way which is fair to their workers as we have by legislating on agricultural wages. The Welsh Government could set an example in their local employment markets by paying all their staff at least the real living wage - and requiring anyone they fund to do the same. This is particularly important in social care as Welsh Government looks to raise the status and professionalism of social care workers. There will be a saving to the UK Government if this is done as it will reduce reliance on in-work benefits. This could help fund the change but will require negotiation. This will drive up wages as other employers seek the best staff. Maintaining UK pay frameworks within the public sector is important as is collective bargaining between Trade Unions and employers on a sectoral level this is the best way of lifting workers out of poverty. Proposed: Mary Wimbury Seconded: Daryl Williams (If required please use the reverse of this form or attach a separate sheet which should be signed and dated.) Organisation: Secretary s signature: Date: Please return to: Standing Orders Committee Welsh Labour, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9HA no later than 12 noon on February 11th (the form can also be ed to Martin_eaglestone@labour.org.uk) 10