CLP Chair

Provide leadership, direction and a positive culture for your local Labour Party.

As CLP Chair, you set the tone for how your local party operates. You provide leadership to officers and members, ensure the CLP is well-run and inclusive, and help create an environment where people can work together effectively to campaign and win.

This role suits someone who is a confident facilitator, a strong communicator and able to bring people together in a fair and constructive way.

What success looks like

A strong CLP Chair helps create a local party that is:

• Well-led – officers and members are clear on priorities and work effectively together
• Inclusive – meetings and activity are welcoming, open and respectful
• Organised – decisions are made clearly and followed through
• Focused – campaigning, membership and development are at the heart of activity

What you’ll do

Provide leadership and direction

• Work with officers to set the overall direction and priorities for the CLP
• Support and develop a strong and effective officer team
• Ensure everyone understands their role and works together effectively
• Help create a positive and inclusive culture across the CLP

Chair meetings and decision-making

• Chair meetings in a fair, open and impartial way in line with party rules
• Work with the Secretary to plan agendas and ensure meetings run effectively
• Encourage participation and ensure discussions are constructive and focused
• Ensure clear decisions are made and actions are followed up

Support a strong and active CLP

• Work with officers to plan a programme of campaigning, events and engagement
• Act as Deputy Registered Treasurer, supporting the CLP Treasurer with financial and legal responsibilities
• Ensure members have opportunities to get involved and shape the direction of the CLP
• Support activity that builds visibility and presence in the local community

Work with branches and officers

• Have effective Exec meetings that focus on agreeing actions and delivering outcomes
• Maintain strong relationships with branch officers and support their development
• Ensure communication and coordination between CLP and branches
• Help ensure information, training and opportunities are shared across the CLP

How you’ll work with others

You’ll be part of a team of officers working together to deliver a strong and active CLP.

• CLP Secretary – key partner in organising meetings, communication and governance
• CLP Treasurer – works with you on oversight, finances and decision-making
• Vice Chair – supports leadership and helps drive campaigning and membership activity
• Branch Chairs and wider Exec – support coordination and leadership across the constituency

Top tips to get you started

• Focus on people – strong relationships make everything else easier
• Be fair and impartial – your role is to enable good discussion, not dominate it
• Keep things moving – clear decisions and follow-up are key
• Support your team – you don’t need to do everything yourself
• Set the tone – a welcoming and respectful culture starts with you

Your first 90 days

• Meet with officers to understand priorities and current activity
• Work with the Secretary to plan meetings and the forward programme
• Review how your CLP currently operates and identify any improvements
• Connect with Branch Chairs and introduce yourself
• Support early meetings and ensure clear actions and follow-up

Tools, guidance and support

• Labour Hub – manage roles, contact details and CLP information http://hub.labour.org.uk (Admin pages)
• Organise – support communication and campaigning http://organise.labour.org.uk
• Training and resources – available via www.labour.org.uk/resources and the CLP Hub on Labour Learn at https://learn.labour.org.uk/clp-hub

If you need support or advice, you can contact [email protected], the Governance and Legal Unit on [email protected], or your regional office, or Scottish or Welsh Labour.