NEXT MEETING
Our next meeting will be held at 7:30m on Wednesday 9 October in Zinc, High Street, Chipping Ongar, Essex, CM5 0AD.
Our monthly meetings are open to supporters and members alike – if you oppose the government’s assault on our living standards or are fed up with the anti-democratic conduct of the current Brentwood Council Tory administration, why not join us!
We normally begin by making friends and catching up over a cup of tea or coffee. There is usually some business to conduct, but our main focus is on political debate and policy formation.
Panel 1
Manifesto 2019
Labour’s Five Pledges to You
We will:
Invest in local services and provide real opportunity for all Brentwood residents
Deliver the new homes our Borough needs, where they are needed, and at an affordable price
Champion the community with real support for our volunteers, charities and services
Demand more from the County Council to improve education, libraries and roads
Breathe new life into our community and promote our location as a great place for business
Pledge 1: Invest in local services and provide real opportunity for all Brentwood residents
We will:
end the failure to house the homeless in our community by building accommodation in Brentwood;
abolish the second homes council tax discount and reform empty homes council tax relief to eliminate abuse by landlords;
support the Children’s Society initiative to exempt all care leavers in the county from council tax up to the age of 25;
seek accreditation for the Council as a Living Wage employer;
create apprenticeships for young people within the Council and the community;
increase security for tenants by encouraging long-term tenancies and re-establish lifetime homes for social tenants;
require private landlord accreditation to provide decent accommodation and support private sector tenants.
Pledge 2: Deliver the new homes our Borough needs, where they are needed, and at an affordable price
We will:
commit to building enough homes within five years to end our housing waiting list;
reconsider the local development plan so that larger scale social housing building programmes are re-started and developers cannot ‘buy their way out’ of obligations at low cost;
introduce new modern standards for housebuilding and design including zero-carbon homes;
also give local people buying their first home ‘first dibs’ on new homes built in their area to give them confidence that new homes will be available to them and their families;
provide additional homes by bringing empty houses back into use and taxing empty homes more;
re-start local plans in our towns, parishes and villages address the need for older people’s housing, ensuring that choice and downsizing options are readily available;
ensure that key workers can live locally in our Borough;
change planning policies that allow homes to be built without adequate parking;
support only proposals where roads, transport, schools, green spaces and surgeries are guaranteed.
Pledge 3: Champion the community with real support for our volunteers, charities and services
We will:
secure long-term, stable funding for groups like Brentwood Community Transport, Citizens Advice and our Council for Voluntary Services;
back actions that seek to improve the Borough’s local health provision and support the Mental Health Challenge;
provide the resources needed to end rough sleeping in Brentwood;
use our role in Public Health planning to demand expansion of local NHS services;
use all avenues to protect our post offices, pharmacies, high street banks, sport clubs, pubs and independent shops.
Pledge 4: Demand more from the County Council to improve education, libraries and roads
We will:
reject the proposed library closures and service cuts, instead offering to help promote local libraries and share services;
work with the County Council to plan primary school places to anticipate demand;
demand bus route cuts are reversed to improve access from rural communities to services such as hospitals, whilst supporting Brentwood Community Transport’s services;
campaign for our street lights to be turned back on through investment in efficient LED lighting;
develop more 20mph zones in residential areas;
work tirelessly to improve response time to repair roads, fill potholes, replace broken paving and make cyclists safe.
Pledge 5: Breathe new life into our community and promote our location as a great place for business.
We will:
develop council sites for the benefit of the community – attracting major names and facilitating opportunities for local small businesses;
be ambitious for our town centres future as retail hubs, rather than see them as residential development opportunities;
introduce a brown badge scheme to improve the access to our High Streets, whilst more vigorously enforcing against illegal parking;
encourage more businesses to move to Brentwood by targeting reductions in business rates;
create a new parking strategy that reduces price and increases spaces throughout the borough;
ensure high standards of street cleaning across the borough;
increase tourism by advertising our heritage & leisure facilities;
support local entrepreneurs to start business and provide mentorship.
Panel 2
Get In Touch
If you have any questions or suggestions please use the contact form below.
Brentwood North Toby Blunsten
Brentwood South Gareth Barrett
Brentwood West Debbie Foster
Brizes & Doddinghurst David Jobbins
Herongate, Ingrave & West Horndon Pauline Watts
Hutton Central Marian Jenkins
Hutton East Jane Winter
Hutton South Fran Dapp
Ingatestone, Fryerning & Mountnessing Emma Benson
Pilgrims Hatch Liam Preston
Shenfield Richard Millwood
South Weald Tim Barrett
Warley Susan Kortlandt
Election Agent Jane Winter
Panel 4
Labour Women
Members campaigning on Red Rose Day with Harriet Harman MP
The Women’s Group is part of a nation wide forum for women within the national Labour Party, but organised locally by the Women’s Officer. Every female member of the party is welcome to join as are Labour supporters. Men are not excluded.
We organise a Red Rose Day every year on a Saturday close to International Women’s Day (March 8th), to celebrate being a woman in Brentwood and Ongar. This event has previously been supported by Harriet Harman and other prominent Labour MPs.
We meet three or four times a year usually at a member’s house. The forum provides the opportunity to debate and discuss on a variety of topics, for example Child Poverty, Equality and Diversity .
Women have been campaigning with the Labour Party for over 100 years before & since the Labour Women’s Network was established in 1987 by Barbara Follett.
Gillian Norris and Ann Huish campaigning on Red Rose Day in Brentwood High Street
Our aims include:
To meet other women of like minds.
To support Labour women to play a part in the Party.
To encourage women to become active.
To identify issues relating to women & families.
To support the Local party.
Fund raising.
In the past we have held a Bring & Buy event at a member’s home. Money raised went towards our election campaign.
We always welcome new ideas!
Yvonne Waterhouse talking to a member of the public
Panel 5
Meetings and Democracy
How the local party works
As a democratic, socialist party we welcome people to join the party from all walks of life, to have their say, elect candidates for election and debate & influence policy.
For newcomers, working out how everything fits together can seem a bit of a maze – but don’t let that put you off as there’s a common goal: ensuring the party remains open and democratic and helping maintain contact between the party, the people and the government. Our structure, and our open policy development process enables more people than ever before to have their say. The Labour party in Brentwood currently (December 2016) has over 700 members, more than all the other political parties locally put together.
Where you fit in
New ideas are vital if the party is to grow and develop – and your views, experience and help are welcome. Members are very different in their outlook, some preferring to pay their subs to support the party, others taking an active role in local politics and yet more enjoying the chance to debate national policy issues at meetings with a view to influencing the national party. It is vital to understand that in spite of our differences we actively maintain friendship and respect to create effective teams from all those who can campaign, form policy or raise funds.
The Constituency – Brentwood & Ongar
The Brentwood and Ongar Constituency Labour Party (CLP) is based on the electoral area for the election of MPs. Via your CLP, you can choose the members from your area to represent our local party at annual conference and you can help select the parliamentary candidate.
Brentwood and Ongar Constituency and its local council wards
The constituency is made up of twenty two local council wards, seven wards in Ongar elect councillors to Epping District Council and fifteen wards in Brentwood which elect to Brentwood Borough Council. Ongar Town Council and the Parish Councils also have representation.
All Member and Supporter Meetings
Meetings play an important role in debating key issues and agreeing the direction of campaigning locally. However, they can also become a matter of routine management, which can detract from the political interests members have.
For these reasons, locally we hold monthly meetings open to all members and supporters to debate issues and strategies and we elect an Executive Committee to manage activity and a Campaign Forum to organise active members to deal with local campaign issues.
Ongar Branch
The Constituency Labour Party has two branches – Brentwood and Ongar. Ongar branch meets and operates independently with respect to its wards, parishes and its Town Council. Please contact us if you live in Ongar or in the parishes to the north and would like to support the Ongar Branch.
CLP Executive Committee
This committee is responsible for managing the party’s activities locally, organising the agenda for our meetings, booking meeting halls, handling the finances and acting on behalf of the CLP members when appropriate. It is elected by the CLP membership at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in May each year.
Members of the Executive Committee
These are the current office holders for Brentwood & Ongar Constituency Labour Party elected at the AGM on June 6th 2018.
Voting and non voting members are elected by the General Committee of all members present at the AGM. Coordinators are appointed by Executive Committee and may also be already elected to the Executive Committee.
Contact Richard Millwood if you have any questions:
chair@brentwoodandongarlabour.org.uk
07790 558641
Chair
Richard Millwood
Vice Chair (Campaigns & Political)
Tim Barrett
Vice Chair (Membership)
Sue Kortlandt
Secretary
Jane Winter
Treasurer
Pat Woods
Women’s Officer
Éadaoin O’Brien
Ordinary member 1
Gareth Barrett
Ordinary member 2
Toby Blunsten
Ordinary member 3
John Pickard
Ordinary member 4
Liam Preston
Ordinary member 5
Ann Huish
Ordinary member 6
Marian Jenkins
Ordinary member 7
June Simmons
Non voting members
Auditor 1
Joanna Moncrieff
Auditor 2
Ann & Stephen Howarth
Youth & Student Officer
vacant
Chair of campaigns committee
Toby Blunsten
Coordinators
Youth & Student
vacant
Women’s
vacant
BAME
vacant
Trade union liaison
Tim Barrett
Membership recruitment & retention
Richard Millwood
Fundraising
Political education
Susan Kortlandt
Press & publicity
Liam Preston
Local Campaign Forum
The CLP has established a Campaign Forum responsible for formulating and implementing Constituency Development Plans to promote local campaigning throughout the year. It will also oversee the recruitment and selection of candidates for borough elections and manage the campaign activity. Its primary duty is to maintain our presence in Epping Forest District Council and in Brentwood Borough Council. Currently we have two councillors – Gareth Barrett and Julie Morrisey both representing Brentwood South Ward. At times of general election it will select a parliamentary candidate and organise a campaign.
Regional Forums
For Essex County Council elections there is an Essex Campaign Forum, which works to coordinate campaigning for county seats.
As a party member you may also be invited to attend local and regional policy discussions throughout the year. Informal, friendly gatherings, each discussion makes submissions to the policy commissions. There is also an annual Eastern Region conference to which our CLP sends delegates.
Submissions to the Labour Party do not have to stem from events, nor our own meetings alone. Anybody can share their views and ideas throughout the year, and several members have nationally recognised expertise which may be consulted by the national party from time to time.
National Policy Forum (NPF)
The NPF meets several times a year to make sure that the direction of our national policy reflects the broad consensus in the party. Between meetings, the representatives that make up the body liaise with the members, the representatives that make up the body liaise with the members, supporters and public who make submissions. NPF representatives will respond to submissions, ask questions and engage in on-going debate about the issues that matter to you, feeding them back when the NPF meets to move our policy forward.
The NPF includes representatives of CLPs and regions, Labour Councillors, affiliated trade unions and socialist societies, the PLP, the EPLP and other stakeholder groups within the Party.
National Executive Committee (NEC)
Made up of representatives from each section of the party – government, MPs, MEPs, councillors, trade unions and CLPs. Members vote for their CLP representatives in a ballot each year. The NEC sets the party’s objectives and oversees the running of the party nationally.
Annual Conference
The annual conference is the ultimate authority in the Party deciding the policy framework from which the next manifesto will be drawn and setting party rules. It considers the policy papers prepared by the policy commissions after consulting local parties. Members choose delegates within the CLP to represent them at conference – and those delegates could include you.
