Majority Governance Documents

Contents

  • Mission Statement
  • Political Values Statement
  • Standards and Behaviour
  • Membership Criteria
  • Governance
    • Organisational Structure
    • Annual General Meeting
    • Leader
    • Admin Group
    • Treasurer
    • Auditors
    • Local Groups
    • Manifesto Development
    • Candidate Selection
    • Informal Groups
    • Conflict Resolution
    • Constitutional Change
    • Regulatory Status
    • Progressive Alliance
  • Guidance for Local Groups
  • Complaints Policy

Pronouns.  This document uses they / their as both singular and plural pronouns.

Mission Statement

“Our political system has failed. Grotesque inequality and a dying planet prove it. We exist to rebuild our democratic institutions to serve the interests of the many. We do this by supporting citizens to become activists and activists to become leaders.”

Political Values Statement

Politics is not serving the majority. We are building a movement to correct this. The interconnected crises of inequality, extremism and climate breakdown can only be tackled by progressive policies underpinned by deep democratic consensus. Britain should be run in the interests of the people who do the work; including those in unpaid work, those unable to work, or those retired from a lifetime of work. We will promote:

  1. Common ownership models of key utilities
  2. Fairness and dignity at the heart of employment rights and social welfare
  3. Community Wealth Building within local and regional government
  4. Deliberative democracy – including citizen’s assemblies and greater accountability for elected representatives
  5. Tolerance and respect and opposition to all forms of racism and discrimination
  6. Taxation and spending that prioritises the wellbeing of the many over the wealth of the few
  7. Environmental policies based on climate science
  8. Peace, justice and upholding universal human rights

Standards and Behaviour

Public trust in the morality of politicians is at an all-time low. Many think there is no difference between all the main political parties, and that they are all the same – only interested in personal gain and lining their own pockets.

To regain public confidence, political groups must demonstrate they are above personal promotion and gain, and deliver policies for the people in an open and democratic way.

Members of Majority must meet the standard of the Nolan principles and commit to the principle that every person is entitled to feel safe from harm and prejudice.

⁠The Seven Principles of Public Life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil Service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also apply to all those in other sectors delivering public services.

Majority applies these principles to all its members.

  1. Selflessness

Members should act solely in terms of the public interest.

  1. Integrity

Members must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

  1. Objectivity

Members must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

  1. Accountability

Members are accountable to the organisation and public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

  1. Openness

Members should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the organisation and public unless there are clear and justifiable reasons to do so.

  1. Honesty

Members should be truthful.

  1. Leadership

Members should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Membership Criteria

Majority is a movement with plurality at its heart. We welcome members from across the progressive political spectrum who share our mission and commit to our standards of behaviour.

  1. Mission

Membership is contingent upon a commitment to our mission statement and political values statement. Actions which are deemed in contradiction to these statements may result in suspension and/or termination of membership.

  1. Behaviour

Membership is contingent upon a commitment to our standards of behaviour. Actions which are deemed in contradiction to these standards may result in suspension and/or termination of membership.

  1. Political Affiliations

Majority is a non-exclusive movement that welcomes independents as well as those from other political parties that align with our political values statement.  To be clear, you can join Majority and still retain membership of a political party. However, while we recognise that political parties can harbour a wide range of views, applicants to Majority who are members of parties or organisations that stand in contradiction to our political values statement will require their membership application to be adjudicated.

  1. Membership Acceptance

Majority will accept all membership applications in good faith. Should it come to light that a member has not been truthful when applying, this may result in suspension and/or termination of membership.

  1. Prior Conduct

If it comes to light that a member’s previous actions or statements contradict Majority’s political values statement and/or standards and behaviours, a member may be asked to demonstrate to the satisfaction of Majority or its officers that their values and behaviours have changed, or else face termination of membership. In all cases, members will be treated fairly, and in accordance with the principles of natural justice.

  1. Membership Fees

As a grassroots organisation we require funding to be able to deliver our ambitious programme of political education and candidate training. To allow us to become a sustainable progressive force in UK politics and deliver for our members and communities, we require a minimum ongoing monthly donation as detailed in our current financial schedule. Members will then be able to access our full programme of training and events for free. Non-members will also be able to access events on a ‘pay as you go’ basis.

  1. Elected Politician Levy

All public office holders (including councillors, MPs, PCCs and Mayors) elected as an approved Majority candidate will be required to pay 10% of their salary or allowances back to the movement. These funds will be split equally between Majority’s core functions, and the local area election campaign fund.

Governance

Organisational Structure

Majority aims to minimise bureaucracy and administration, and direct members’ energy into productive activity. Majority shall have as flat an organisational structure as is practicable.

Members may self-organise on a wide range of activities, and no formal governance is needed so long as the political values statement and standards of behaviour are adhered to, and activities are open to all members within practical limits. Members may also self-organise interest groups, but all such groups hold an informal status.

All activities organised in the name of Majority, or with the implied support of Majority, must adhere to our political values statement and standards of behaviour, and strive to enhance Majority’s reputation.

Annual General Meeting

An AGM shall be held once each calendar year.  It shall be a hybrid meeting, with all votes held by electronic ballot in real time.

The AGM will consider the Leader’s Report, the Treasurer’s Report, and any proposed organisational changes, including any amendments to the constitution.

The AGM will elect the Treasurer and Auditors for the forthcoming year.  The AGM will also vote on whether or not to extend the Leader’s mandate by another year, unless the leader was elected after the previous AGM (and has therefore been in post for less than one year).

Time shall also be allocated to review the success of electoral campaigns and discuss manifestos and plans for upcoming campaigns, either at the AGM or an accompanying conference.

The AGM shall have a Business Chair who shall not be the Leader or member of the Admin Group. The Business Chair shall be elected before the AGM in an exhaustive electronic ballot. Any member can self-nominate to be the Business Chair. The ballot shall include a short written statement provided by each candidate.  Anyone who stands to be Business Chair cannot run to be Leader until after the following AGM, approximately one year later.

An AGM need not be a standalone meeting. A conference can be organised as an adjunct, to serve other purposes of the organisation, so long as the AGM has reasonable time allocated to serve its governance and administrative purposes.

Inaugural AGM

The inaugural AGM will necessarily be different. Its administrative purpose shall be to agree the constitution, governance and associated procedures.

It shall also elect the first Leader and other elected positions by exhaustive ballot, with each candidate given 5 minutes to address the AGM.

Leader

Majority will have an elected Leader whose role is to serve as lead spokesperson, organiser, and administrator.

The Leader should embody the Nolan Principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

At each AGM the Leader shall present a Leader’s Report.  This shall comprise a performance report and account of decisions made since the last AGM, and an outline of plans for the forthcoming year.

The Leader shall convene an Admin Group to assist in the effective running of the organisation.

The Leader shall also oversee the resolution of any complaints and disputes in an objective, judicial manner. The Leader shall recuse themselves of this duty should it represent a conflict of interest e.g. if the complaint was regarding the Leader. Best practice is to ask experienced members who have no interest in a specific dispute to look into the matter and provide advice, and then weigh the matter in accord with Majority’s values and codes of conduct.

The Leader may not directly conduct financial transactions at any level of the organisation, but should be involved in financial planning and approval of significant transactions.

Election of Leader

When a leadership vacancy arises, a new leader shall be elected by exhaustive all member electronic ballot.  In the event of only one candidate, they shall run against “re-open nominations”.

All members are eligible to stand for Leader, with the following exceptions:

  1. a Leader who has just been voted out of office
  2. a member who stood for election to be Business Chair at the most recent AGM
  3. a member who is ineligible to stand for public office in the UK for any reason, including minors.

The election process must provide widespread opportunities for all members to question candidates equally in open hustings and Q&As online and in person.  Candidates shall have ample opportunity to cross examine each other in front of members.

Removal of Leader

A Leader can be removed if they fail to get a renewed mandate at an AGM, or they lose a vote of confidence in a recall petition.

Leader’s Mandate at AGM

At each AGM, the Leader will present their annual report, and plans for the upcoming year.  Once the Leader’s report has been presented, the Leader will answer members’ questions on the report.

An electronic ballot of all members will open immediately after the Leader’s Report session has finished, to determine if members wish the Leader to continue in post.  The ballot should close shortly before the end of the AGM or Conference, in order that the result can be announced.  If the Leader gains a simple majority of votes cast, they will remain in post for another year.  A Leader who was elected after the previous AGM is not subject to a mandate renewal vote in their first year.  (E.g. if they were elected mid-year after a previous leader stepped down or was voted out).

Recall Petition

A Leader can be removed between AGMs on the grounds of failing to uphold the political values or the standards and behaviours of Majority.

If 10% of members or more sign a petition of no confidence in the Leader, it shall go to an electronic all member ballot.  Such a petition must explicitly reference which political value or which of the standards and behaviours the leader has broken.  If the Leader fails to get a simple majority vote of confidence, their term of office shall end immediately.

The Business Chair from the preceding AGM shall work with the Admin Group to oversee the conduct of the ballot.

A Leader can face no more than one recall petition between AGMs.

Interim Leadership

A Leader may resign for personal reasons at any time, triggering a leadership election, and remain in post until the next Leader is elected.

Should a Leader lose a mandate renewal vote, or lose a recall petition vote, they shall vacate office immediately.  In this event the AGM Business Chair shall oversee the work of the Admin Group until a new leader is elected, and act as Returning Officer for the leadership election.  The Business Chair may select two members to assist them.

Election Timetable

The Business Chair, or outgoing Leader (see Interim Leadership) shall oversee the Admin Group who will propose an election timetable.  The Admin Group’s proposal will go to online ballot within 14 days, requiring a simple majority.  If this fails to get a simple majority, an Extraordinary General Meeting will then be held within 30 days to debate and decide a timetable and schedule.

Admin Group

The Admin Group comprises members of the organisation invited to assist the Leader in performance of their duties.

The Admin Group should comprise a wide variety of talents.

The Admin Group will publish a quarterly report summarising all relevant decisions.

Membership of the Admin Group is functional.  It confers no special status in the organisation.  It is about doing work in the service of the organisation, not exercising power.

If a member has concerns about the conduct or performance of a member of the Admin Group, they may contact the Leader directly, or raise a complaint by the normal procedure.

Treasurer

The Treasurer administers the finances under the direction of the Leader and the Admin Group, and keeps appropriate records.  The Treasurer should be a member of the Admin Group. The Treasurer will be elected at the AGM.  In the event of unexpected vacancy, a new Treasurer should be elected within 60 days in an exhaustive all member electronic ballot.

Auditors

Auditors shall inspect the Treasurer’s report before each AGM, and be given access to all relevant information.  The Treasurer shall make their annual report available to the Auditors at least 14 days before the AGM documentation is circulated.  The Auditors shall make a report on the Treasurer’s report which shall be circulated with the Treasurer’s report.

It is good practice for Auditors to contact previous Auditors to ensure they are aware of previous events.  Auditors should also keep in regular contact with the Treasurer between AGMs.

The AGM shall elect two Auditors by exhaustive electronic ballot.  Candidates are allowed up to two minutes to state their credentials for the role.

Auditors must be from different Local Groups, and may not serve as members of the Admin Group.

Local Groups

Any member of Majority is automatically a member of the Local Group where they live, or where they are on the electoral roll.

Members may attend Local Groups other than their own, but not vote.  In any event, a member can only be a voting member of one Local Group at a time.

Local Groups shall have the same boundaries as upper-tier local authorities.  In the North East Combined Authority area, this equates to seven Local Groups: Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham.

If demand arises beyond this area, the Leader and Admin Group will listen to members’ preferences, and define practical boundaries so Local Groups have sustainably large memberships.

Local Groups as defined by upper-tier local authority geography are the default decision making bodies of Majority, specifically in regard to manifesto development and selection of candidates.

Remit of Local Groups

Only 2 activities are subject to formal governance of a Local Group:

  1. Local Manifesto development and approval, and
  2. Candidate Selection

Only Local Group members may vote on the Local Manifesto and Candidate Selection for that location.  No other Majority activities and events shall be restricted based on a member’s location.

Members of Local Groups are encouraged to organise other activities, including political discussion, but these should be run as if they are Informal Groups (as defined in this document), to reduce unnecessary formality.

Manifesto development

Manifesto Development for Local Authority Elections

In keeping with Majority’s desire for practical, meaningful change, all manifestos shall relate to specific, deliverable policies that will make a material difference to people’s lives.

Policies should focus on specific, achievable goals within the powers and resources of the public body.  For example, a Borough Council has no legal powers to alter Income Tax rates or to take utilities into public ownership.  It could, however, commit to paying the Real Living Wage through its supply chain, or levering in investment into community owned housing developments and local community businesses.

Local Groups should undertake a process of developing a manifesto that serves the needs of the majority of their residents.  The guiding questions should be, “How would we like our county / city / borough run?”

These are high level, county wide, manifestos. Candidates are still free to campaign on other local issues specific to their ward, so long as these do not contradict the agreed high level manifesto, or Majority’s political values statement.

The process of developing a manifesto is not prescriptive.  Groups should engage with local residents in public meetings and deliberative policy making, community groups in informal discussions, and policy experts to sense-check proposals.

Majority’s Admin Group will offer help in terms of facilitation and contacts with appropriate experts where possible.

Manifesto Peer Review

A core aim of Majority is to improve competence in public life.

Once a Local Group has a draft manifesto, it will invite the Admin Group to organise a peer review.  Peer review is mandatory, the purpose is to strengthen and “stress test” the manifesto.  A Local Group still retains control of the manifesto, so long as it remains compatible with Majority’s political values statement.

The format of the peer review is not prescriptive, and should be done in a spirit of robust and constructive feedback.  As a guide, the Admin Group would find a group of knowledgeable members from outside the Local Group to ask questions of the Local Group; members with experience of public office and policy areas are particularly valuable.

Questions should probe how feasible proposals are, what evidence lies behind assumptions, how proposals would be communicated to the electorate, what questions the media might ask, and how the group might rebut possible criticisms from opponents.  The process should be iterative, with the Local Group given time to review feedback and make such changes it chooses.

If at the end of the process, the peer review team has serious concerns that it feels have not been addressed, these will be communicated to Local Group members in a single, concise report.

The Admin Group may urge a Local Group to provide and stick to a timetable so the manifesto is ready in good time before an election.

Manifesto Adoption

Once a manifesto has completed peer review, it shall be put to all members of the Local Group in an electronic ballot administered by the Admin Group.  A simple majority vote is needed to adopt it.

No candidate in an election can be supported by Majority unless they publicly support the manifesto.  Candidates are still free to campaign on other issues, such as local issues specific to their ward, for example, so long as these do not contradict the agreed local manifesto.

In practice, this will likely mean that Local Groups have very different specifics in their manifestos, but all with the same underlying values and principles.  This is a sign of a healthy, functioning democracy, tailored to serving the specific needs of their community.

Manifestos for other elections

For PCC and Combined Authority elections, the process shall be broadly similar to the local authority process, but the geographic footprints shall reflect the boundaries of the public office.

For a General Election, all UK members of Majority will be involved in approving the manifesto.  Parliamentary candidates, along with the Leader, will convene the manifesto development process, with the support of the Admin Group.

The Admin Group will convene a panel of policy experts and experienced campaigners to provide the peer review.

Parliamentary candidates may still campaign on local issues relevant to their constituency so long as these do not contradict the agreed local and Parliamentary manifestos and are compatible with Majority’s political values statement.

For lower tier local authorities, the same general principles shall apply as for upper tier local authorities.  Sub-groups matching the electoral boundaries may be set up on an ad hoc basis with the support of the Local Group and Admin Group.

Candidate Selection

Local Groups may choose to support candidates in elections.  They also have the right to contest only some seats or to not support any candidates in a given election.  Local Groups are reminded that Majority seeks to maximise electoral support for our values and policies by pursuing progressive electoral alliances.

Local Groups should self-organise to determine when to begin their selection processes. Local Groups must complete their selections in good time to allow candidates to pass through the approvals process, including gaining experience and participating in training courses.

Candidates should be selected at least four months before a fixed public election date.  Local Groups may select candidates earlier.   A candidate must be selected before they can become approved, see Candidate Approval process.

Once the Local Group has decided to begin their selection process, they should inform the Admin Group who will assist in member communications, administering ballots and procedures, and advice on best practice.  The Admin Group may suggest members from other Local Groups to observe and assist in the process.  This is a healthy part of democracy, and spreads knowledge and affinity throughout the organisation.

The Local Group, with the support of the Admin Group, shall then agree a timetable by consensus. The principle of all eligible member voting by electronic ballot shall be maintained.  If unable to reach a consensus, they may seek advice or adjudication from the Admin Group.

If a Local Group seems unlikely to meet the selection deadline, the Admin Group can expedite the process, or step in and administer the process directly.  This does not undermine local members’ right to vote for their preferred candidates.

Incumbent Candidates

Where a candidate is the incumbent holder of a public elected office a candidate can self-nominate if seeking re-election.  They will be given the opportunity to make an address to the Local Group and answer any questions.  Then an all member electronic ballot will take place, and a simple majority is required for selection.  If the candidate is not selected, they may still participate in a subsequent open selection process (see No Incumbent Candidates).

Incumbent candidates who are selected must still be approved as suitable by the wider membership (see Candidate Approval).  Like all members, they are entitled to support and training to meet Majority’s standards.

Where there are no Incumbent Candidates

Where there are public elections for posts without a Majority member incumbent, an open selection process will take place.

Any member who meets the legal requirements for the public office may self nominate.  A candidate must then find three members of the Local Group to second their nomination.  A member may second more than one candidate.

Once nominations are closed, there shall be a reasonable waiting period to publicise the selection process.  A period of 14 days is recommended, during which candidates should make themselves available through Majority’s peer to peer communication systems to answer questions.

Local Groups are strongly recommended to hold an in person meeting where candidates can address members and answer questions.  This engages members, a necessary part of electoral success.

Candidates shall be selected by exhaustive all member electronic ballot.  A candidate who is unsuccessful for one seat may stand in another.

In the event of only one candidate being nominated, they shall run against “Re-open nominations”.

Members are not obliged to campaign for a selected candidate, but they may not campaign against a selected candidate without breaching their membership obligations.

Candidate Approval

Anyone who is standing for election with the support of Majority is inevitably an ambassador for the organisation, with the power to enhance the public image of Majority, or to tarnish it.  For this reason, all members of Majority have a legitimate interest in ensuring all candidates meet a high standard.

Candidate approval is a distinct process from candidate selection.  In simple terms, candidate selection is local members choosing who they want to represent them.  Candidate approval is the wider organisation making sure a candidate is of a high standard.

All members will have the opportunity to develop the necessary skills by enrolling on a candidate training programme, which will help them perform well in the approval process.

The approval process is described in full elsewhere.  As a summary, any candidate who wants Majority’s endorsement must demonstrate their commitment to the Nolan Principles, their competence for the public office, and their communication skills.  Performances will be assessed by meetings open to all members, with only members from outside of the candidate’s Local Group eligible to vote.  A simple majority vote of approval from those members present is required.

While high standards shall always be maintained, and no one should be approved out of sympathy, there should be a general approach of giving hard working candidates additional coaching and a further opportunity to succeed.

Informal Groups

Members are free to organise activities appropriate to Majority’s aims, and use Majority’s peer to peer communication systems to do so.

Informal groups have no obligations in terms of structure or governance, other than adhering to Majority’s Political Values statement and Standards of Behaviour.  The need for formal decision making should be minimised, and decisions should be made by consensus.  Informal groups should not pass resolutions.

Informal groups may not commit Majority to any expenditure or liability.  Decisions of informal groups are not binding on any member.

Conflict Resolution

All complaints and disputes shall follow the principles of natural justice.  This commitment to natural justice cannot be amended.

The Complaints Policy is detailed elsewhere.

The general approach shall in the first instance be to seek mediation and redress.  Where this is not successful, the Leader shall, with the support of the Admin Group, convene an adjudication involving the advice of at least two members who do not have an interest in the dispute.

Constitutional Change

For the purposes of this section, “Constitution” refers to the “Governance” section of this document.

All proposed changes to the constitution should come before the AGM for debate, and then if an indicative vote at the AGM agrees to put the change to a formal vote, a member-wide online ballot shall be held no later than 30 days after the AGM.  Changes to the constitution require a supermajority of two thirds of votes cast for approval.

In order to propose a change to the constitution, a member shall send it to the Admin Group along with the approval of 10 seconders.  The Admin Group may choose to put it straight on the agenda of the next AGM, or may choose to meet with the proposer and seconders to clarify the objectives or suggest amendments.  In any event, the Admin Group may take soundings on the proposal from the wider membership.  The proposer may decline to accept any amendments suggested by the Admin Group.

Political Values Statement Change

To change the Statement of Political Values of Majority is the same process as changing the constitution, except that the vote must have both a two-thirds majority in favour, and more than 50% of all members in favour.

Other Changes

Changes to the Standards of Behaviour and other policies and guidelines can be made if approved by the Leader and a simple majority vote of all members in an electronic ballot.  In all cases, members should be given the opportunity to debate and deliberate on proposals in good time before a vote, typically a period of 30 days.

Regulatory Status

In regulatory terms, Majority is not a political party, it is a non-party campaigner.  Majority will support candidates who further its aims through electoral politics.

To assist in elections, Majority will promote its brand, policies and values.

Progressive Alliance

Majority is inclusive in its politics.  Majority will offer its support on a candidate by candidate basis.

Majority may support candidates with joint party descriptors.

Independent candidates and candidates from progressive political parties may be considered, based on their proven and active support for Majority’s aims, and their public support for the local Majority manifesto.

Majority will consider promoting electoral alliances and pacts with others who support compatible values.

Guidance for Local Groups

This guidance for Local Groups aims to balance two core tenets of Majority; the freedom for members to self-organise, and the need for high standards of competence and integrity.

Majority is non-hierarchical and non-federal.  Every member is first and foremost a member of the whole organisation, and free to associate and organise with any other member anywhere.

Local Groups are not “branches” in a hierarchical structure.  Local Groups organised on local authority footprints have precisely two formal governance roles.

  1. The selection of candidates whom Majority will support in elections, possibly as part of an electoral alliance.
  2. The development and approval of a local manifesto.

These functions are detailed in the governance documents.  Formal governance applies to these two functions because they can affect lives of members and the general public, e.g. elected councillors can raise your council tax or oversee your public services.

Beyond this, members in any geographic area are free to self-organise.  This could follow practical limitations – some Local Authority footprints are huge, and members may choose to subdivide.  Members could organise around specific issues – whether a local campaign to save a park, or on policy issues, such a bus users group.  Members could organise around external group memberships – e.g. Unite the Union members.  We refer to all such groups as informal groups, because they are not subject to formal governance the way manifesto development and candidate selection are.

The foundational approach of all informal groups is consent.  Members are not compelled to participate, and are not bound by their decisions.  E.g. an informal group may decide to organise a demonstration against a central government policy; that does not mean that position is now official Majority policy, so other members are free to disagree and speak in opposition.  In any event, Majority’s Political Values Statement and membership code of conduct supersede any informal group decision.

Election campaigns are also classed as informal activities.  Majority approved candidates are encouraged to organise their own campaign activities using the resources of Majority.  All members are encouraged to participate, regardless of their geographic location.

Communicating with Members

The Majority online member platform contains useful tools for member to member communication.  All members can access these, and communicate with other members.  The online platform is undergoing continuous improvement, and increasingly powerful tools are being made available to members.

The recipient’s chosen privacy settings will affect who can communicate with them.  Additional restrictions are in place when it comes to communicating with members under the age of 18.

Coordinator Access

For some functions, such as sending out email blasts, additional system permissions are required.  A person with such permissions, but who is not a member of the Admin Group, is known as a Coordinator.

Any informal organiser can ask the Admin Group or a Coordinator to communicate with members on their behalf, and does not need to be a Coordinator.  The Admin team, or a local Coordinator, will use reasonable judgement to prevent members receiving too many messages, or trivial messages.

Best practice will be for geographic areas to produce local member newsletters, and to include messages and event publication in that.  There is no requirement for a newsletter to match a local authority footprint area.

Members with a need to communicate extensively with other members can ask the Admin Group to be given Coordinator access.  This would likely include candidates and organisers running a public election campaign, or those taking on responsibility for organising events.

The general principle is that in order to have additional access to membership data, a potential Coordinator would have to complete appropriate training in using the system, data control procedures, and content guidelines.  The Admin Group will likely consult members in the geographic area to make sure members consent to that person becoming a Coordinator.

Finance

Majority as an organisation will provide training and an IT system for all members, Local Groups, and informal organising.  Local Groups, and informal groups may raise and administer their own funds in addition to this.  Such funds will not belong to Majority.  Any local funds must comply with electoral law.  Majority’s ethical standards and code of behaviour still apply, particularly around transparency and accountability.  Best practice includes electing a Treasurer and an independent auditor.  Advice can be sought from the Admin team.

Electoral candidates should raise and administer funds for their campaigns, including keeping in touch with their residents if they are successful.  These funds will not belong to Majority.  The portion of the elected members’ levy that is retained by the elected official or pooled in a local area can be used for this purpose.

Conflict Resolution

Majority’s conflict resolution procedures will apply where informal organising cannot be agreed by consent.  This might occur where more than one informal group is organising in the same political or geographic space.  In the first instance, mediation will be sought.  If this does not resolve the conflict, the Leader will convene a conflict resolution process involving members who do not have an interest in the dispute.  If one or more parties still do not agree to a proposed resolution, the Leader is empowered to restrict access to Majority’s resources for one or more parties to the dispute.

Complaints Policy

Majority is committed to ensuring that its members’ conduct reflects its aims and values and complies with its rules. Ours is a movement with plurality at its heart. We welcome members from across the progressive political spectrum who share our mission and commit to our standards of behaviour. With this in mind, we acknowledge and encourage healthy discussion and respectful debate between members and with the general public. A large part of our mission is focused on creating space for people from different backgrounds and political traditions to come together and learn from each other. Whilst we will all have deeply held views and opinions, this movement requires us all to be respectful, open-minded and self-reflective when defending our views or challenging others.

However, people may want to tell us when they believe our members have demonstrated behaviour that is not aligned with our rules, values and expectations as a movement. We believe dealing effectively with all such complaints is essential to ensuring all members are treated with respect. By maintaining an open and transparent approach we can continue to learn and improve. This policy sets out how complaints will be dealt with, ensuring concerns raised are considered and any resulting changes or improvements made, where required. Its purpose is to ensure a consistent, clear and focused approach is taken by all members involved in handling complaints. Complaints resolution will follow the rules of natural justice.

  1. Grounds for raising a complaint

A complaint can be raised if an individual believes a member of Majority has expressed views in direct contradiction with our political values statement or has exhibited behaviour which breaches our stated standards of behaviour.

  1. Raising a complaint

A complaint about a member of Majority can be raised by another member or a non-member. The complaint should be outlined in writing and submitted to the Admin Group.  The written account of the complaint should contain all relevant details including where, when and how the complainant feels the accused has failed to adhere to Majority’s political values statement or standards of behaviour.

  1. Resolving a complaint, stage one

The Admin Group will convene a resolution process, under the oversight of the Leader.

If the complaint does not allege misconduct of a criminal nature, an offer to mediate an informal discussion between the complainant and accused will be made. If this option is taken, an appropriate forum for the discussion will be chosen and all reasonable efforts will be made to resolve the issue through mediated dialogue and discussion. The aim will be to try and resolve issues in this way, especially when the complaint is of a less serious nature.

If the complaint alleges criminal behaviour, the matter will proceed directly to a formal stage.

  1. Resolving a complaint, stage two

Should the complainant or accused refuse the option of a mediated informal discussion, or the mediation fails to resolve the issue, a formal investigation will be raised. A complaints resolution panel will be formed with the aim of establishing the facts of the case. Members of the complaints resolution panel must have sufficient distance from the complainant and accused so as not to present a conflict of interest.

At this stage more details and evidence may be requested by the panel to ascertain the validity of the claim(s) made. This panel will review submissions and speak to witnesses if appropriate. Once the panel has had time to collect and review evidence, it will deliver its opinion.

Based on the panel’s opinion steps may be taken to redress the matter, including to suspend or revoke membership.

In the most serious of cases, if the panel has reason to believe any criminal act has taken place, the panel may hand the matter over to the police.  In any event, a complainant always has the right to seek redress via the courts or criminal justice system.

  1. Rights of the complainant

The complainant has the right to raise a complaint as outlined above and be supported in this process. The complainant has the right to a fair hearing of their concerns. The complainant has the right to anonymity if the complaint warrants police involvement.

  1. Rights of the accused

The accused has the right to defend themselves and be supported in this process. As with English Law in general, the principle of innocent until proven guilty will apply. The accused shall have the right to know the nature of the complaint and the name of the complainant – except if the complaint warrants police involvement.

Draft document for consideration at the Majority AGM on 28 September (last updated 17 September). Thanks to Jamie Driscoll for allowing us to host this page on his website. This document will also be available on the new majorityuk.org website soon.