Local Party Chair - Tom Osborn

What’s the role?

The Chair's role in their local party is to provide guidance and leadership to the local party executive. It is one of the key roles in any local party. The Chair ensures the local party is working to an agreed vision and development plan. The Chair is accountable for ensuring the local party meets legal and party requirements and is, along with the Treasurer, one of the two signatories on the local party accounts.

Key tasks:

The role of Chair can vary considerably, depending on the size of the local party, level of activity, skill set of officer team and the culture and tradition of your team. In smaller local parties, the Chair may carry out a fair amount of the work themselves; in larger parties, the role may be more of an enabler, facilitator, manager or leader of an officer team. Nevertheless, there are some common responsibilities:

• Chair the Local Party Executive meetings.
• Take responsibility, with the Treasurer, to make sure that there is compliance with legal requirements, including GDPR.
• Ensure that the Local Party is run according to the local party and national constitution.
• Ensure that candidate selection takes place and is carried out according to the rules in the Local Party constitution.Ensure that the Local Party has an action programme and is working to fulfil it.
• Ensure that all Executive members have the opportunity and are encouraged to be involved in delivering the Local Party's objectives.
• Handle complaints and be involved in any disciplinary matters, should they arise.
• Actively develop other members of your local party, with a view to them becoming officers in future.
• Develop a good working relationship with the Council Group Leader.