Local Party Chair
Find information on the role and responsibilities of a Local Party Chair here.
Already an LPO and looking for further resources? Use this link to jump to the relevant section.
What's the role?
Time: 6 - 8 hours per week
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.
Help & support
- You can join the Liberal Democrats Local Party Officers Facebook Group, to make contact and share best practice with other officers.
- To make contact with Lib Dem campaigners around the country, find out what they are doing and swap ideas, join the Lib Dem Campaigners group on Facebook.
- To find out how the Liberal Democrats use digital technology for their campaigns, join the Lib Dem Digital Campaigning Forum, also on Facebook.
Skills & attributes
Being a Chair can be hard work, it can be fun, and it can be hugely rewarding. The key skills you will need to use are:
- Organisation
- Influencing
- People management
- Mediation
- Public speaking
- Leadership
How to apply
It is a constitutional requirement for each local party to have a Chair.
Chairs are elected each year at your local party's AGM. Any member of your local party can stand to be the Chair.
You can hold the post for a maximum of three consecutive years.
Further Resources
For the Local Party Chair
To access these resources, you will need to be a member of the Campaigns hub, if you aren’t already you can join here.
Page contributors
- Helena Cole, Portsmouth
- Crispin Allard, Bristol
- Steffan Aquarone, North Norfolk and Great Yarmouth
- Iain Donaldson, Manchester Gorton, Central and Blackley
- Penny Reid, Blythe Valley
- James Moore, Reading
- Jean Stewart, Inverclyde
- John Miller, Newport and Severnside
- Peter Jones, Chiltern
- Catherine Brown, Central Bedfordshire
- Robert O'Riordan, East Lothian
- Ian Jenkins, City of Wolverhampton
- Peter Hirst, Congleton
- Lynda Daynes, Darlington and Sedgefield