Job Opportunity
We have a vacancy for a paid campaign organiser.
Job Title: Wokingham Campaign Organiser
Responsible to: Tom Wood (Liberal Democrats Campaigns Department)
Salary: £25-£30k, depending upon experience
Hours: 35pw but expected to be flexible during peak periods.
Tenure: 2 Years fixed contract, including 6-month probationary period.
Location: The working location is Wokingham Borough area and you will be expected to be in the borough as required. Home-based when not required to be local, moving to local office accommodation if and when this becomes available.
Closing date: 31st May 2022
Purpose of the job
Clive Jones, the PPC for Wokingham and the Liberal Democrats are seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated person who can plan and organise campaign activity, build campaigning capacity and manage a team of volunteers.
Context of Job
Wokingham is complex and dynamic area, with the local party being organised in alignment with the Borough Council area. The Wokingham Constituency seat is a Top 20 target seat for the next general election. Wokingham Borough Council has now moved to ‘No Overall Control’. Majority control of the council is also now within the future reach of the Lib Dems and would be a major boost to the parliamentary campaign.
The Wokingham constituency also covers areas of West Berkshire and Wokingham Borough Council also incorporates areas of three other constituencies. The whole area is currently subject to boundary reviews, which will bring the constituency more into line with the Borough Council boundaries and importantly, make Wokingham an even more winnable seat.
The primary focus of this role will be to campaign in the current parliamentary constituency. However, it will also be expected to support campaigning to gain control of the borough council as an important stepping-stone in its own right but also in anticipation of boundary changes.
There is already a strong local team in place and the jobholder will be the key ‘Enabler’ who will make it possible for the team to raise their performance to a whole new level.
This is a fantastic opportunity to lead and deliver a campaign and build the infrastructure and organisation necessary to elect a Lib Dem MP in a ‘Blue Wall’ constituency at the next General Election - and rid parliament of John Redwood.
Description:
Primary Tasks
- Take overall responsibility for organising the delivery of the agreed constituency and borough campaign plan, as agreed between the local party Campaign Task Force Chair, the PPC (Clive Jones) and the local party, Wokingham Borough Liberal Democrats.
- Building campaigning and organisational capacity – including recruiting members, donors, deliverers and poster sites.
- Building and managing a team of constituency volunteers who oversee all aspects of capacity building and campaigning.
Secondary Tasks
- Designing and delivering an ongoing programme of doorstep communication with voters.
- Assisting with the coordination of delivery of campaign literature.
- Maintaining relevant databases e.g. deliverers, donors, poster sites etc.
- Organising events e.g. action days, social events, etc.
- Supporting fundraising and assisting with fundraising campaigns and events as required.
- Attending relevant conferences, training and other meetings as required.
Person Specification:
The following criteria are considered essential:
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to lead, mobilise and manage volunteers.
- Exceptional personal organisation.
- Ability to multi-task.
- Ability to work independently with limited supervision, self-motivating and able manage own workload.
- Excellent written communication skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Familiarity with current issues within UK politics and sympathy with the values and principles of the Liberal Democrats.
The following criteria are considered highly desirable:
- Experience of delivering effective Liberal Democrat campaigns.
- Experience of Liberal Democrat software and databases (e.g. Affinity Publisher, NationBuilder & Connect)
- Full UK driving license and access to a vehicle.
Key Performance Indicators
These will be agreed with the successful candidate but are expected to include metrics membership numbers, activation of volunteers and delivery of the resources (financial and other) required to sustain a successful two-year campaign up to the next general election.
Starting date: ASAP.
How to apply:
Please take a few minutes to complete our Equality and Diversity Monitoring Forms then proceed with your application.
- A full CV of no more than two pages and including a telephone number and email address
- A covering letter (no more than one A4 page) setting out why you want the job and how your experience and skills are relevant to it To be considered for this position, please submit your application to [email protected]
We will be reviewing applications as they come in and reserve the right to appoint prior to the closing date
Please note: We will not be able to employ you if you are not eligible to work in the UK. We will not be able to obtain a work permit on your behalf.
Applicants are encouraged to inform us if any reasonable adjustments are needed to be made during any part of the recruitment process.
Please let us have details of your current salary and two referees including one from your current employer – if you would prefer us not to contact them until a later stage of the selection process, please let us know.
We will not notify applicants if their application has been unsuccessful at shortlisting stage.
The Party believes it is essential to foster equity, equality, diversion and inclusion within our workforce. We want our employees to thrive in an environment where everyone is welcome and supported to achieve their potential. It is important to celebrate what makes us unique and that you feel valued, appreciated and free to be who you are.
Lib Dems, Labour and independent councillors agree partnership to end 20 years of Conservatives running Wokingham Borough Council
Today we announced our new partnership with Labour and Independent councillors to run Wokingham Borough Council in an open and collaborative way.
More details:
Wokingham Pride 2022
Wokingham Pride 2022
Our Pride picnic on 9th July 2022 will be a fun and family-friendly event. Everyone who supports the aims of Pride are welcome. You don’t need an existing connection to Wokingham’s LGBT+ community – please bring something to eat and a picnic rug and make new friends! Flags, well behaved dogs and small children are all very welcome.
We’ll be holding an action day on Saturday, 11th June to give local businesses flags and information on the event. Please meet outside the town hall doors (the side facing HSBC, the Cancer Research Shop and Broad Street) at 10am. Flags and information will be provided.
We’re hoping that businesses will show their support by displaying Pride flags and that we’ll see more of the fantastic window displays that some of the shops put on in the last couple of years.
For more information, please visit us on the Wokingham LGBT Pride facebook page.
There is always a more serious side to Pride, and there is this year. Only a few years ago, the UK was ranked as the top European country for LGBT+ equality, but sadly we have now fallen to 14th place (reference below). From the tremendous local support for Pride, I think that Wokingham people want to see our country back as a global leader in LGBT+ rights. Wokingham residents want our town to be a safe, inclusive and fair place to grow up and to live if you are LGBT+
We will be bringing a petition for those who wish to sign, calling on the government to bring in a full and effective ban on the harmful practice of conversion therapy in the UK.
*Source - the annual “Rainbow Map” produced by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) ranks 49 countries in Europe based on laws and policies that have a direct impact on LGBTQ+ rights. Countries are assessed on categories including equality and non-discrimination, hate crime and hate speech, asylum and legal gender recognition].
Wokingham Refill Scheme action day 2022
Wokingham’s part of a global scheme which has prevented over 100 million pieces of plastic from polluting the environment, and we’re relaunching following the pandemic.
The Refill scheme helps people use reusable water bottles instead of single use plastic ones, by asking cafes, restaurants etc to refill reusable bottles for free. Participating organisations can advertise their membership on the Refill app and with a sticker in the window.
The Wokingham Refill Scheme will be holding an action day on 28th May to give local businesses a chance to sign up to the scheme and join 300,000 others ahead of World Refill Day on 16th June 2022.
If you'd like to join us, please come to Wokingham Town Hall at 10am on Saturday 28th May (we'll meet by the doors to the Town Hall which face the HSBC, Cancer Research shop and Broad Street). Please bring a reusable water bottle for a team photo. We have stickers and info sheets and we'll provide all the information you need on the day.
For more information, please visit us on the Wokingham Refill Group facebook page or visit www.refill.org.uk
Local election results show we can oust John Redwood
A round up of this weekend's media coverage following the removal by us of the Conservative majority on Wokingham Borough Council:
Revealed: The Tory MPs who would lose their seats if local votes counted in general election
Ed Davey mentions us:
https://twitter.com/LibDems/status/1523251614475165699
Ten Conservative MPs at risk following local elections
https://www.markpack.org.uk/169280/ten-conservative-mps-at-risk-following-local-elections/
Conservatives lose control of Wokingham
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-61344517
Read more
Thank you!
Thank you!
We held all 4 seats, won 5 more, and knocked Wokingham Borough Council into no overall control.
We couldn't have done this without a fantastic team of 100s of door knockers, delivers, tellers, data entry clerks, social media team and of course our fantastic councillors and candidates, and the people who put their faith in us and voted.
Imogen Shepherd-Dubey held Emmbrook
Sarah Kerr held Evendons
David Hare held Hawkedon
Prue Bray held Winnersh
David Cornish won Finchampstead from the Conservatives
Alistair Neal won Hillside from the Conservatives
Mike Smith won Maiden Erlegh from the Conservatives
Chris Johnson won Shinfield South from the Conservatives
Beth Rowland won South Lake from the Conservatives.
Full results
Full results have been added here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Wokingham_Borough_Council_election
Have your say on 5th May
With postal votes landing all over Wokingham, you can find details of our manifesto and candidates here: https://www.wokinghamlibdems.org.uk/2022
Sir John Redwood must sack law-breaking Boris Johnson says Lib Dem candidate for Wokingham
Wokingham Borough Council leader of the Lib Dem Opposition, Cllr Clive Jones, called for Boris Johnson to resign.
Read the full story here: https://wokingham.today/sir-john-redwood-must-sack-law-breaking-boris-johnson-says-lib-dem-candidate-for-wokingham/
Lib Dems Working to Decarbonise Homes
Wokingham Liberal Democrats have submitted a council motion that, if approved, would make a positive step in decarbonising the borough’s homes.
“Decarbonising our homes is not just about tackling climate change,” said Cllr Sarah Kerr, Liberal Democrat spokesperson on climate change. “Insulating homes and generating renewable energy directly on homes also helps with the cost-of-living crisis, as well as tackling health inequalities.”
Little progress has been made in reducing emissions from the energy used for heating and cooling buildings in the UK, mainly due to the UK’s poor standards of building insulation and an ageing housing stock, coupled with a heavy reliance on fossil fuels for heating.
In Wokingham Borough, some progress has been made in insulating the borough’s housing stock through the ECO and GHG-LAD schemes which assists low income and vulnerable residents. The majority of households do not qualify however, and insulation is just one of the tools that homeowners can use in reducing their carbon emissions.
“In order to stimulate the market, the barriers of consumer inertia and the lack of trust and understanding need to be addressed,” continued Cllr Kerr. “Investing hard earned income into home improvements can be daunting, especially when there’s a wide range of options and combinations to consider, each property is unique, and there are cowboy tradespeople in the industry.”
The Liberal Democrats want to see the Council facilitating the creation of a local home decarbonisation service to provide impartial advice for residents on the many home decarbonising options which would include assisting with assessing value for money. At this stage, the motion is requesting officers to prepare a business case assessing the feasibility and options for delivering such a service and make a recommendation as to whether it should be operated in house, or as a shared service with other local authorities, as a partnership with the voluntary sector or others, or through a 3rd party.
“We know that this in itself is not the complete answer to the challenge,” surmised Cllr Kerr. “This is a very important piece of the puzzle though, and if this Council is serious about its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality, we hope that this motion will receive unanimous support.”
Read more
Statement from Chair, Wokingham Liberal Democrats on the invasion of Ukraine
I know I speak for all our local members, and I’m sure, everyone in Wokingham, in expressing our horror and outrage at the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Whilst everyone was all too aware of the increasingly threatening behaviour by Vladimir Putin, it still came a tremendous shock to us all that a despot and dictator could once again bring war to Europe, purely on his own whim.
As we watch the hundreds of thousands of ordinary Ukrainian people forced in terror from their homes, it seems unbelievable that fellow Europeans could have their lives broken apart in such a brutal and arbitrary way – and all at the behest of the deranged ego of one individual.
This is a grim lesson for the democratic nations – the world that seemed so safe and secure is no such thing. As Burke is alleged to have said; ”The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. Our parents and grandparents learnt this only too well.
It may be that we, in our cosy little lives, have done nothing for far too long about the way Putin and his cronies have been behaving. The brave people of Kiev and elsewhere are paying a price for that.
We literally cannot imagine what the people of Ukraine are going through right now, but I know that our thoughts and prayers are with them.
David Cornish
Chair, Wokingham Liberal Democrats
