All members, local parties, affiliates as well as other party stakeholders have the right to a direct say in the party’s policy development. You can do this in a number of ways:

1. Organise/attend a local policy forum
Local policy forums are policy consultation meetings open to all members (and in some cases the wider community). In small discussion groups, the forums analyse a particular policy issue, understanding the nature and scale of the problem and looking at the possible solutions, dealing with conflicting priorities, and at the end, reaching a view to submit to the party’s policy-making process.

Local policy forums can be organised in a number of ways. In the past, some have been organised at branch level, others at constituency meetings which are open to all members, and some at special meetings of cluster constituencies.

2. Use PiP to develop local manifestos
The development of the Big Conversation in 2003 showed that there is a significant appetite for an open and wide-ranging consultation, that seeks the views of local residents, voluntary groups and others who have expertise and/or experience of implementing local/national government policies.

The new Partnership in Power encourages local parties working with Local Government Committees to consult residents and community groups as they work to develop the manifesto for local elections. This is an important feature of the new PiP, as it allows us to link up our policy development work with the party’s campaigning priorities.

3. Set up a local policy networks
Successful policy development and implementation requires sharing information and learning from each other. Our party is rich with practitioners, experts and people who are passionate about a policy area. But we do not always grasp this wealth of knowledge nor use it to help implement Labour’s programme.

The new Partnership in Power proposals have outlined plans to set up and support local policy networks, which will encourage members with a shared interest in a policy area to join together to trade knowledge, discuss solutions to problems and engage directly with policy commissions, ministers and other opinion formers.

4. Join the new Partnership in Power Coordinators Network

To support local parties and affiliates with the work they do organising policy discussions at party meetings and setting up consultation events with the wider community, a new Partnership in Power Coordinators Network has been established.

Members of the network will get support and advice from the regional and national party to help run local policy forums, be invited to special briefing and training events and provide a platform to feedback to the party some of the political and organisational issues that arise through local policy development work.

The network is open to all members interested in the party’s policy development work, but our aim is to ensure that there is at least one PiP Coordinators Network member in every constituency across the country.

To join this new network, please email Kirsty O'Brien, Head of Policy Development at kirsty_obrien@new.labour.org.uk

giving your:
- full name and postal address including post code
- local party unit (CLP/branch/trade union) and your position
- email address
- contact telephone numbers (mobile/home/office).