Ensuring A Welcoming and Affordable Party

Ensuring A Welcoming and Affordable Labour Party

Below is a suggested rule change, circulated by the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) to local Constituency Labour Party groups (CLPs) ahead of Labour Party Annual Conference 2021 which is due to be held in September.

Chapter 1 (Constitutional Rules)

Clause II (Party Structure and Affiliated Organisations)

Point 6B (Socialist Societies)

The existing rule on page reads:

Chapter 1, Clause II, 6.B.i.

“Each affiliated socialist society or other organisation shall pay an affiliation fee per member of £1.25”

Proposed Change:

Amend Chapter 1, Clause II, 6.B.i to read:

i) Each affiliated society or other organisation shall pay an affiliation fee per member of £1.25 except in the case of politically under-represented and low income/working class members, in which case the fee may be waived.

Chapter 2 (Membership Rules)

Clause II (Charter of Members’ Rights)

The existing rule Point 10 on page 14 reads:

“The Labour Party shall give all members an ongoing opportunity to self-define as holding the characteristics mentioned in 8 above and to declare a disability in line with 9 above, and may give members the opportunity to self-define as holding other characteristics. The Labour Party is only bound to accept genuine self-definition, made in good faith”.

Proposed Change:

Amend Chapter 2, Clause II, Point 10 to read:

All Working Class/Low Income members having 8 weeks continuous membership shall unless the 8 week verification period has been extended or unless otherwise prohibited, have the right to free membership of the Labour Party’s Working Class/Low Income members’ representative structures. Only Labour Party members may participate in such structures.

The Existing Rule Point 11 reads:

“The relevant dates for the above rights shall be defined by procedural rules made by the NEC”.

Re-number point 11 as point 12 and so that point 11 reads:

“The Labour Party shall give all members an ongoing opportunity to self-define as holding the characteristics mentioned in 8 above, to declare a disability in line with 9 above, to declare their status as low income/working class in line with 10 above and may give members the opportunity to self-define as holding other characteristics. The Labour Party is only bound to accept genuine self-definition, made in good faith”.

And point 12 reads:

“The relevant dates for the above rights shall be defined by procedural rules made by the NEC”.

Clause IV (Membership Subscriptions)

The existing rule point 2.A.i on page 15 reads:

“A reduced minimum rate set at half the Standard Rate will be offered to persons who are unwaged, pensioners who have retired from work, persons working less than 16 hours a week and persons on government training schemes”

Proposed Change:

Amend Chapter 2, Clause IV, Point 2.A.i to read:

“A reduced standard rate of £1 per annum will be offered to persons who are unwaged or subsisting at or below the poverty line (defined as income that is 60% or less than the national mean for their household composition and age profile).”

Appendix 8 NEC statement (A minimum guarantee of support to CLPs)

Clause IV

Appendix 8, Clause IV,point 1.A. on page 114 reads:

The aim of each fund is as follows:

“1. NEC Diversity and Democracy Fund.

A. Aimed at helping the poorest CLPs with the cost of sending delegates to Annual, Scottish and Welsh Conferences, and for encouraging diversity at a local level”.

Proposed Changes:

Amend Appendix 8, Clause IV, point 1.A. to read:

“1. NEC Diversity and Democracy Fund.

A. Aimed at helping the poorest CLPs and members with the cost of attending Annual, Scottish and Welsh Conferences, helping those on low incomes to stand as candidates and access training and for encouraging diversity at a local and national level.”

Appendix 8, Clause IV, point 2.A. on page 114 reads:

“2. NEC Local Campaigns and Improvement Fund

A. This fund would specifically support local campaigning in the field – so activity is rewarded and incentivised, and match funding of projects or organisers would be considered.”

Proposed Changes:

Amend Appendix 8, Clause IV, point 2.A. to read:

“2. NEC Local Campaigns and Improvement Fund

A. This fund would specifically support local campaigning in the field – so activity is rewarded and incentivised, and match funding of projects or organisers would be considered. In order to improve democratic involvement and representation, where activity is focussed specifically on building engagement within under-represented groups, full funding will be considered”.

Supporting Information

Party membership costs £53/year (standard rate) and £26/year (reduced rate) for those aged 20 to 26, those who are retired, part-time workers or affiliated trade union members, regardless of their income status and this is also the cost to people who are unwaged. A further concessionary rate of £3 is available to those aged 14 -19, students and members of the British Armed Forces (for the first year). Amongst all of the main political parties in the UK, the Labour Party charges the most, yet we exist to speak up against poverty, for equality and social justice. In 1983, 3% of the electorate were a member of one of the main parties and this had dropped as low as 1% by 2015.

Following a long period of decline there was a remarkable surge in individual membership of the Labour Party after the general election of May 2015, particularly after Jeremy Corbyn was officially nominated as a candidate for the leadership in June of that year (membership increased by well over 300,000, more than doubling). The opportunity to capitalise on this surge of interest and broaden the socio-economic profile of the membership base was missed when the decision was taken to sharply increase the cost of membership. A 2017 survey found that 77 per cent of Labour Party members fell within the ABC1 social classes. Nearly half of all its members lived in London or southern England, and 57 percent were graduates.

During the pandemic, UK Billionaire wealth has grown by £41bn (35%) whilst UK Foodbank use has grown by 630,000+ (33%), over half of food bank users are from working households and living in enforced poverty. As a result of the pandemic, there is much increased scope for the party to reach out to voters who appear to have shunned us and a review of our membership cost and pricing structure would be a good place to start.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation have described how the further down the income gradient we look, the greater the share of economic, health and educational impact of the pandemic has been borne, all of which has significant implications regarding the ability to politically engage. We need to make political engagement easier and not harder for people. According to the Child Poverty Action Group, as a result of the pandemic, nearly six in 10 families said they are now struggling to cover the cost of three or more basic essentials, including food, utilities, rent, travel or child-related costs. Around half of all families said they have a new or worse debt problem. The changes proposed encompass simple steps the party can take to adapt and take account of these factors and changes.