Congratulations to our new General Secretary (an Eastbourne girl !)

We are especially pleased by appointment of Claire McCarthy as the General Secretary of the Co-operative Party.  Claire first joined the Labour Party in Eastbourne, and was secretary of Eastbourne Young Labour, before leaving us for Cardiff University- from where she was elected to the Labour Party NEC as its Youth Representative.

As Head of External and Political Affairs, Claire has played a key role in the Party’s activity over the past two years.

She has led on much of our work with the wider co-operative movement, while the Party’s recent success in securing credit union services for the armed forces is but one example of the skill with which she has overseen the Party’s work with Co-operative MPs and Peers.

Claire McCarthy has more than ten years experience as a Special Adviser, public affairs professional and charity leader developing public policy ideas, influencing policy and political debates and changing legislation.

Having worked as a Special Adviser when Labour were in government and served on the Labour Party National Executive Committee and National Policy Forum, Claire is well-placed to develop our vital relationship with the new Labour leadership. Her influencing skills were put to good use in the run up to May’s General Election when she won key policy commitments within Labour’s policy platform and pledges to implement Co-operative Party proposals from Ed Miliband.

As we look towards the Party’s Centenary in 2017, Claire’s combination of co-operative movement, Labour party and wider political and policy experience puts the Party in an excellent position to take on the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Open Party Meeting in Hove: Come and Join Us !

South East Region Co-operative Party

Open Party Meeting

Saturday 31 October 2015 at the Cornerstone Community Centre, Church Road, Hove, BN3 2FL - 10-30 a.m. to 1-30 p.m.

Come and join us!

Discussions will include “Moving on from the General Election and the Labour Party leadership election”

Discussion leaders will include: Matt Rodda – Councillor and former PPC for Reading, Michelle Harfield – National Youth Committee representative for South East, Lynda McDermott – former Member, National Members’ Council, Co-op Group.

For further information contact Les Lawrie, Secretary, SERP, on by email here or  phone 07919 935481.

The scheduled meeting for Saturday 12th September has been postponed due to several members attending the Special Labour Conference that day. Details of new date soon.

Co-operators and the Labour Leadership

For almost a century, the Co-operative Party and the Labour party have stood together to build a society where power is more fairly shared. As Labour elects its next leader and deputy leader, the Co-operative Party organised an opportunity for members to hear what the candidates have to say on issues of importance to our movement. The video below covers the whole of the leadership hustings which took place on 21st July 2015 in London.

AGM 2015: Saturday 27th June

The Annual General Meeting of the East Sussex Branch of the Co-operative Party will be held on on Saturday 27th June, commencing at 10.30am at the Central Methodist Church, Langney Road, Eastbourne.

A G E N D A

1. Apologies for Absence
2. Minutes of the last AGM, held on May 17th 2014.

3. Reports:

• Chair,
• Vice Chair,
• Secretary/Treasurer (including annual accounts)
• Constituency Labour Parties
• Party Council

4. Elections:

• Chair
• Vice Chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Any other officers
• Delegates to Party Council (2)
• Delegates to Constituency Labour Parties (Hastings and Rye, Bexhill and Battle, Eastbourne, Wealden, Lewes and Brighton City [Kemptown CLP]

5. Plan of Work for 2014-15, to include confirmation of meeting dates for the year.

6. Any other Business

Tea and Coffee will be available at the meeting.

Urgent- Use your vote for the Co-op Group AGM

After 98 years of changing Britain for the better, the Co-operative's voice in politics could be silenced.  You have the power to keep it.

Showing a grotesque ignorance of the history, values and strength of the Co-operative Movement,  Allan Leighton the new Chief Executive of the Co-Operative Group (Britain's largest co-operative, and a major supporter of the Co-operative Party) has said that "It's the apples not the activists that will transform the Co-op"

If you have received a Co-op AGM pack via post or email, the deadline to vote online is noon on Wednesday 13th May.

The Co-operative Party is at risk. Time is running out save it. Vote 'YES' to motions 9 and 10 to keep the link.

For more information visit http://keepit.coop/how_to_vote or watch the film below.

There's also a great article from Paul Routledge in the Mirror, where he exposes what he calls a "Trojan Horse" style plot to strip the progressive politics from the Co-op.

Co-operators standing in Old Town, Eastbourne

Labour and the Co-operative Party have a joint slate of candidates for Eastbourne Borough Council's Old Town ward on May 7th. Chair of East Sussex Co-operative Party Jean Couture is joined by journalist Paul Richards and Unite Equalities organiser Sharon Wentworth in leading the campaign for co-operative values in Eastbourne. You can find out about them, and their opponents, on the Eastbourne Herald website here.

Sarah Owen is a Labour and Co-op Candidate for Hastings in the General Election; and the Labour candidates in Eastbourne (Jake Lambert), Lewes (Lloyd Russell-Moyle) and Bexhill and Battle (Michelle Thew) are individual members of East Sussex Co-operative Party. Branch secretary Dave Brinson is standing as a Labour candidate in the Devonshire ward of Eastbourne.

For electoral law purposes, the info about Old Town candidates is published by Lisa Gilette on behalf of Jean Couture, Paul Richards and Sharon Wentworth, all of 1 West Street, Eastbourne.