You are here: Home » News »

Will your CLP still exist in 2013?

July 30, 2012 2:28 pm

Author:

Tags:

Share this Article

Labour MPs have been vociferous in their criticism of proposed boundary changes since they were first discussed. Many within the party doubt that boundary changes will ever happen – especially after the mess the government is making of Lords reform. Yet the Labour Party seems to believe that the changes will be happening – and it could mean your CLP effectively disappears in just a few months – replaced by a new seat.

Although the party acknowledges that the boundary changes may not happen and have put in place “contingency plans should the reorganisation of CLPs need to be halted or reversed” – should the Labour Party really be reorganising CLPs before the final boundary changes have been confirmed? Being ready for an early election is important – but the potential for changing from one seat to another, and then back to the original seat sounds like a logistical nightmare. As does selecting a candidate for one seat and then finding them representing a potentially much changed constituency. Avoiding “unnecessary reselection procedures” is one thing – but members in the new CLPs should still get a say over who their candidate is…

Should boundary changes happen, we’ll be keeping a very close eye on selections/reselections – as well as where the money and resources from existing CLPs ends up.

Here’s the letter the party has been sending to all CLPs in England (plain text version below):

To: all CLP Chairs, Secretaries and Treasurers and MPs in England
20 July 2012

Dear Colleague,

As you will be aware, the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has commenced the reviews which are required under the terms of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act. This introduced a fixed size of parliament of 600 seats and a stipulation that all constituency electorates shall be within five per cent of the national electoral quota.

The Initial Proposals of the BCE were published in September 2011. The Labour Party made submissions to the consultation, including counter proposals, based on the discussions at consensus meetings in all regions of England. We also made presentations to the public hearings which the Commissions organised.

The Commissions are expected to publish their revised proposals in the autumn, which in most cases will form their final recommendations. As CLPs must be reorganised in the wake of the boundary changes, a considerable amount of work will need to be done before reselections may take place.

In particular, it will be necessary to establish membership lists based on the proposed new boundaries as the basis for reforming CLPs, which will then need to appoint new officers.

Only when this process is completed may selections begin.

Given the electoral importance of having candidates in place as early as possible, the NEC resolved last July that the reorganisation of CLPs shall commence on 1 January 2013 on the basis of the Revised Proposals of the Boundary commissions. This followed a full consultation with the party which showed overwhelming support for this timetable.

Although no action is needed at this time, to prepare the party for the changes which lie ahead the attached CLP Reorganisation Pack provides details about the process which will be followed. We will provide further details in due course.

Finally, we are aware that internal divisions within the Coalition Government over House of Lords reform have created uncertainty about the ultimate implementation of the boundary review. We have therefore put in place contingency plans should the reorganisation of CLPs need to be halted or reversed.

Most fundamentally, we will ensure that membership lists for the current structure of CLPs will be retained and we are working with our membership services provider to ensure that we have the facility to switch systems should the need arise.

In addition, should the Coalition Government abandon the boundary review after we have selected candidates for any proposed new constituencies, the NEC will work with the candidates and CLPs involved so as to ensure that no unnecessary reselection procedures need to be restaged.

The NEC will keep these matters under review.

Yours sincerely,

Iain McNicol
General Secretary

20120730-142502.jpg

Related posts:

  1. Homophobia doesn’t exist? More rubbish from a Tory MEP
  2. Brown: We will save £3bn by 2013-14 with public sector pay freeze
  3. Quote of the day: Boundary changes edition
  • Alanhall4labour

    The proposed course seems perfectly reasonable and practical – pretending it’s not happening wouldn’t be…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Homfray/510980099 Mike Homfray

    I suppose this would be preferable to doing nothing and then having to rush to get the new structures set up if it doesn’t happen

  • Saul On The Road

    When so many candidates are imposed on constituencies by the Labour leadership do CLPs really matter any more?

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=36910622 Edward Carlsson Browne

       Yes they do, because a) CLPs do more than select candidates and b) the premise of the question is transparently false.

      • John Gillatt

         Before the last general election our then MP, Ruth Kelly said that she wasn’t going to stand in 2010.  In Bolton West CLP we went through a full and fair selection in which a huge number of members participated and we chose the candidate that WE wanted.  No-one tried to interfere in the process. I’ve been a Party member for 40 years in six different constituencies and I have never known of a candidate being “imposed” on a CLP.  Of course CLPs matter – who else is going to organise and do the door knocking, telephone ID, leafleting, etc.

        I really wonder just how involved “Saul of The Road” is in his local CLP?

    • Redshift

      The cases of parachuting whilst wrong are few and far between.

  • Chilbaldi

    It’s reasonable for the party to be prepared for change. I think we are doing the right thing, and I’d think the people at HQ were being incompetent if they were just sticking their heads in the sand.

    I do though think that it is likely that the boundary changes will fall through. We also need to be prepared for this eventualtiy – sticking head in the sand applies to this possible turn of events too.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=36910622 Edward Carlsson Browne

    Many within the party doubt that boundary changes will happen, but that’s wishful thinking. Lib Dem threats to torpedo them in retaliation for Lords Reform are about as credible as all the other Lib Dem threats we’ve seen this parliament.

  • Andy Plant

    as always the sooner we have candidates selected the more chance they have to campaign on the ground.  Evem moving in January will end up with new canddiate sin the seats we have to win having less than two years to build their profile and team

  • Felixfeneon

    It drives me mad just reading this to be remined of how the South West regional party completely ignored the proposals made by my and neighbouring CLPs and submitted the worst possible proposal to the Boundary commission, guaranteeing in one single stroke that two marginal seats become Tory safe seats. This is where the nepotism that is rife in the party leads: incompetent idiots working in regional HQs with no deep knowledge of the make-up of constituencies within their remit.

    • Redshift

      I think it is a bit harsh to slag off all party staff because of something you disagreed with that involved probably a very small number of people. 

  • Jonathan

    Does this mean any CLP under “special measures” will have that status removed so it can get new members?

  • Jonathan

    Does this mean any CLP under “special measures” will have that status removed so it can get new members?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=564361715 Jeff Maughan

    it’s a bit like Scottish independence.  it’s not going to happen

  • Anne Reyersbach

    iInteresting that the letter says that new CLP Officers will need to be ‘appointed’ and not elected.

    • John Reid

      when someone puts them selves up theyre appointed then the Group vote on whether they are selected,

  • DanFilson

    You can see why Tories sometimes operate on a multi-constituency basis as this reduces the need for reorganisation each time a Boundary Commission review is implemented. But they don’t always have any foot soldiers and operate a very centralist system (how different from us … ). So I think we have to assume the reorganisation will proceed. Even if that means accepting the LibDems won’t exercise their blackmail power over the Tories as virtually their last remaining card.

Latest

  • News Seats and Selections Falkirk selection process suspended by the party

    Falkirk selection process suspended by the party

    The Labour Party have this afternoon suspended the selection process for Falkirk, after concerns were raised about “membership recruitment”. We understand that Ed Miliband was “keen to act swiftly” as the selection process was due to formally begin on Sunday. An officer of the party – yet to be confirmed – will investigate. A Labour spokesperson told us this afternoon: “We have suspended the start of the selection process of the Falkirk parliamentary seat. Concerns have been raised about membership [...]

    Read more →
  • Comment Seats and Selections Unions Working Class MPs – the end of a era?

    Working Class MPs – the end of a era?

    By Paul Wheeler

    It is interesting to see that the Labour Party is returning to the vexed issue of its parliamentary selection process. The changes may be well and good.  But maybe we should be asking a bigger question – are we  witnessing the end of working class representation in Parliament? When the Labour Party was first founded it was more simple. Then the explicit  aim was to secure working class representation, and specifically organised labour, in Parliament. Inevitably it became more complicated [...]

    Read more →
  • Local Government News An absolutely classic Lib Dem bar chart

    An absolutely classic Lib Dem bar chart

    Earlier this week we brought you a decidedly dodgy bar chart from the Tories, but it seems that they’re not the only party in Camden adopting dubious use of bar charts. Step forward Camden Lib Dems, with this classic of the dodgy Lib Dem bar chart genre (courtesy of Theo Blackwell). Even by the pretty shoddy standards of the yellows, this is a corker:   Update: Haringey Lib Dems might want to work on their bar charts  maths too (via [...]

    Read more →
  • Featured Modern life is rubbish – We need to put Work and Home at the heart of everything we do

    Modern life is rubbish – We need to put Work and Home at the heart of everything we do

    By Mark Ferguson

    “Work and home is what One Nation is about – family life, how people live everyday life.” That’s what Jon Cruddas – the man who will in all likelihood write Labour’s next manifesto – told the Guardian the party’s policy review is focused on. And it sounds so simple – doesn’t it? Critics will say it’s too simplistic a definition (and they’d be right – I’m cherry picking here), but it’s also a brilliant example of the distance between most [...]

    Read more →
  • News Labour’s policy process explained

    Labour’s policy process explained

    By Mark Ferguson

    There’s an interesting interview in the Guardian with Labour’s policy chief Jon Cruddas this morning (of which more later), but the Guardian have also sketched out their take on the shape of the party policy review, noting – as I’ve done before – that it will report back in a series of stages. You can see a more sophisticated look at this in the piece Jon Cruddas and Angela Eagle wrote for us earlier this week. Here’s the Guardian’s take: [...]

    Read more →