F13: Towards a More Effective Party Governance

Federal Executive

This motion is part of the Party Governance Review.

Conference notes that:

1. The structures and composition of the Federal and State Parties and their bodies have hitherto lacked full and effective transparency and accountability.
2. Over 5,000 responses from members and party bodies were received to the recent Governance Review Consultations.
3. Party members want a larger and more diverse range of members involved in decision making processes.
4. Most party members, most especially in England, are unaware of the State Party's role and composition, assuming the Federal Party is responsible.
5. Action is urgently required to redress the specific democratic deficit in the English State Party and the regions distancing members from their work.
6. In the current structures there is a disconnect between the Federal Party's strategic role and some of the State Parties responsibilities, notably on member activation (training, diversity) and on campaigning and candidates.
7. Federal Conference is currently the only available forum for party members in England to directly express their views regarding the English State Party.
8. Members want a debate about the role and election processes for a Deputy Leader.

Conference believes that:

1. The Federal and State Parties need to make their processes and structure more transparent and accountable to members.
2. The party should revise its standing orders to ensure that its committees and sub-committees work more effectively.
3. The party's strategy should inform and lead the work of the party committees.
4. The various Federal and State Party bodies should work more closely together, understanding that members do not understand the distinction.
5. The current perception of a disconnect between the roles of the regions and the English Party causes problems in effective working.
6. The preamble to our Federal Constitution affirms our belief that decisions should be taken at the lowest practicable level and that this principle should be applied to the internal organisation of the party.
7. The English Party is disproportionately large compared to its Scottish and Welsh counterparts and is too focused on Westminster; as a result it is not well placed to reflect the views of members in the English Regions.
8. There shall be two Federal Conferences a year;
9. That a wider and more diverse number of members should be involved on party bodies.

Conference therefore recommends that:

1. The party's priorities will be laid out in a Federal Party Strategy, including the Leader's political strategy; at least once per Parliament an outline strategic document will be submitted to Conference for debate.
2. The Federal Executive should be replaced by a Federal Board, becoming a strategic body monitoring the delivery of the party's Federal strategy, assessing that strategy's impact on equality; the Federal Committees, working with senior staff, will deliver their part of the Federal strategy through their work plans.
3. The Federal Policy Committee and Federal Conference Committee will continue to report directly to Conference, but will also report to the Federal Board on their implementation of their part of the Federal Strategy.
4. A new Federal Communications and Elections Committee should take on the work of the current Campaigns and Communications Sub Committee and the Joint States Candidates Committee, to ensure co-ordination between elections and the strategic overview of candidate preparedness.
5. A new Federal People Development committee should take on the work of the current Diversity Engagement Group, Training Task Force and Joint State Members Committee.
6. No member shall be directly elected on to more than one Federal committee each, but may, by election or appointment of that Committee, become a representative on another.
7. There shall be a Deputy Leader either (a) elected on a joint ticket with the election of a Leader of the party OR (b) elected by parliamentarians.
8. The Scottish and Welsh State Parties review their own structures, given the principles outlined above, to ensure effective working between States and Federal bodies, and to reflect the comments of members that they want consistency between bodies.
9. There shall be a review of the disciplinary processes of the party reporting to Conference in 2017.

Applicability: Federal.