Gosport Labour Party is a group of local people, working together for social justice, better services and economic growth in the community.
Gosport Labour Party is a Constituency Labour Party (CLP) operating within the Parliamentary constituency of Gosport, which includes Gosport itself, Lee-on-the-Solent, Stubbington, and Hill Head. Gosport Labour Party comprises of two branches covering the North and South of the constituency.
Local parties are an essential way for members to engage with and influence national Labour policy, as well as providing an opportunity for the party to establish a strong presence within communities. This is essential to demonstrating that politics isn’t faceless or remote, but affects all of our lives in important ways.
Gosport Labour Party recognises the tremendous work the national party has undertaken in opening up the policymaking process through projects such as www.yourbritain.org.uk – a website that allows members to interactively engage with the policy development process.
We believe that local parties must follow suit.
Gosport Labour Party is committed to pioneering new ways to increase and involve the local membership. This is not an exercise that should be undertaken just for its own sake, but a way of recasting the party entirely to ensure that it captures local interest and represents people within the community. The more members who are actively engaged with the local party, the more representative and democratic it will be.
The Labour Party is a democratic, socialist party, and we welcome people from all walks of life. We believe that cooperation, decency and community values are key to building a better future for this country and that everyone should have a say and influence policy.
The Labour Party’s main aims have always been to improve the quality of life for all of the people in the UK, fighting for social justice and protecting the rights of working people – not just those with the most money. This also extends to protecting and supporting the most vulnerable members of society.
We can only achieve these goals and close the gap between the rich and poor with an economic policy that benefits all. By joining the Labour Party you can help shape the future of the policies that will ensure a fair, rewarding and inclusive future for everyone.
For the Many, not the Few: what does the Labour Party stand for?
Labour has only been in government for short periods of the 20th century. However its achievements have revolutionised the lives of the British people. The values Labour stands for today are those which have guided it throughout its existence.
How is the Labour Party in Gosport organised?
The Labour Party is divided up into different constituency parties across the UK. There are hundreds of Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) in Britain, each based on an electoral area for the election of one MP.
Gosport CLP is quite small with around 420 members. It also includes members in Hill Head and Stubbington – though these are counted as part of Fareham for local council elections.
As part of a CLP, you can choose the members from your area to stand for elections to the local and county councils, who will represent you at Labour’s Annual Conference and you can help select your parliamentary candidate for the general election.
Each CLP has an Executive Committee (EC) where many of the local decisions are taken, including those on campaigning and finance. The EC consists of a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer plus other elected officers and members from each branch. There are about 20 members in total on Gosport’s EC and they meet at least every two months to discuss campaigning and the important issues that face the Gosport community.
What does the Gosport Labour Party do?
The Gosport Labour team is determined to improve the quality of life in Gosport and the well-being of all its residents. In order to achieve this, we work with Labour Party representatives locally and nationally to shape policies which will affect the town, and also campaign at a local level to help the community directly. Examples of our activities are listed below.
The Gosport Labour Party organises a number of All-Member meetings each year, in venues like Thorngate Halls and the Christchurch Hall. These usually have a particular focus for discussion, sometimes with a guest speaker, often featuring a report from the leader of Labour Councillors – currently Councillor June Cully. It’s one way new members can meet others and get involved.
The Labour Party encourages people from all walks of life to become involved, share their experiences and suggest new ways to achieve our aim of creating a better future for the UK. New ideas are vital if the party is to grow and develop.
To learn more about how Labour creates policy, take a look at the website Your Britain – Labour’s new online home for ideas – where members can have a say on policy and contribute to our next general election manifesto.
Most importantly, we are always looking for member engagement here in the local area. If you have any skills or time to offer, or you know of particular issues in the community you would like to see changed, please get in touch with us. We regularly carry out community actions to improve the local area and pass concerns to Labour Councillors who can attempt to resolve these issues on behalf of residents.