2019 NPF Report
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REPORT 2019 @LabPolicyForum policyforum.labour.org.uk #LabourPolicy Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................................5 About this document ...................................................................................................................6 Policy Commission Annual Reports Early Years, Education and Skills ............................................................................................7 Economy, Business and Trade ............................................................................................. 35 Environment, Energy and Culture ....................................................................................... 55 Health and Social Care ........................................................................................................... 81 Housing, Local Government and Transport ..................................................................... 99 International ...........................................................................................................................113 Justice and Home Affairs .....................................................................................................129 Work, Pensions and Equality ..............................................................................................155 5 Appendices ..............................................................................................................................175 3 The Labour Party 4 NATIONAL POLICY FORUM Report 2019 | Foreword Foreword Welcome to the 2019 National Policy Forum (NPF) Report. As we continue to build on our popular 2017 manifesto, the NPF was this year tasked to consult on eight key areas of policy, with an increased focus on participation and engagement from CLPs. Each of the policy commissions agreed a consultation document focusing on a key area of policy development. These were put together in packs, alongside a guide for local parties on how to arrange discussions and send in responses. The consultation was launched in February, with every CLP receiving two copies of the consultation pack, and an email to all Party members from Jeremy Corbyn MP encouraging them to get involved. In the following months, hundreds of CLPs and Branch Labour parties responded, holding meetings, and sending in views drawing on the expertise of local members. Labour regions also held several policy conferences and policy commission roadshows across the country, hosted by NPF representatives and shadow ministers. In addition members of the shadow frontbench attended roundtable events with business and other stakeholders, and held online question and answer sessions with members on Brexit. To further support members and to make our policy making as accessible as possible, the Labour Policy Forum, our digital platform for policy development, had a specific hub created for members to read the documents and submit their views. The website also hosted materials to help members engage with policy making, along with details on how members could request accessible versions of the consultation documents. Activity was further published through social media, including through the Labour Policy Forum Twitter account (@labpolicyforum) with the hashtag #LabourPolicy. To further promote accessibility and understanding on the consultation a number of animated videos were produced to explain how the consultation works and the topics which were being discussed. Training was also provided to members both through webinars and Labour’s eLearning platform, Achieve. Throughout the year the policy commissions held evidence-taking sessions to hear from invited experts in these policy areas and discussed submissions from members, local parties, and other stakeholders. The work done by each commission to consult with members, local parties and stakeholders is set out in detail in the following report. Each section demonstrates the wide ranging work of the NPF both within the priority area examined this year and broader sets of policy questions which fall under their remit. The NPF will again be holding a series of seminars at Conference this year where delegates can discuss ideas and raise questions with Labour’s frontbench teams and NPF representatives. You can find out more about these by visiting the Party stand. Andrew Fisher Executive Director of Policy & Research 5 The Labour Party About this document The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. We agree policy through a rolling programme of discussion and development across a Parliamentary cycle. The National Policy Forum (NPF) – which is made up of representatives from all sections of the Party - is the body responsible for drafting documents, taking evidence and consulting with the Party. Every year the NPF reports on this work in the ‘NPF Annual Report to Conference’. This document is the 2018/19 edition; in it you can read about the work of the NPF’s eight policy commissions since Conference 2018. To get involved visit policyforum.labour.org.uk the online home of Labour’s policy development process. On this website you can find policy consultation documents published by the NPF, make submissions, get involved in the debates and get feedback from your representatives on the NPF. You can also follow the NPF on Twitter @labpolicyforum for updates and details of new consultations and events near you. We want as many people as possible to get involved, so please do take part. Together we can build a policy platform to tackle the challenges our country faces, and build a Britain for the many not just a few. Consultation 2019 Local accountability in the Democratic public ownership A sustainable food policy Rebuilding a public NHS National Education Service Early Years, Education and Skills Policy Commission Economy, Business and Trade Policy Commission Environment, Energy and Culture Policy Commission Health and Social Care Policy Commission Local economic development Brexit Building an effective Rebuilding a just social security system criminal justice system Housing, Local Government and Transport Policy Commission International Policy Commission Justice and Home Affairs Policy Commission Work, Pensions and Equality Policy Commission 6 Early Years, Education and Skills Policy Commission The Labour Party MEMBERSHIP 2018/19 HM Opposition Angela Rayner MP* Tracy Brabin MP Mike Kane MP Gordon Marsden MP NEC James Asser* Huda Elmi Rachel Garnham Michael Wheeler CLPs and Regions Grant Aitken – Scottish Labour Party George Downs – North West Region Joy Gough – South East Region Owen Hooper – Eastern Region Clare Lally – Scottish Policy Forum Cameron Matthews – Eastern Region George Norman – Yorkshire and Humber Region Elly Owen – Welsh Labour Party Tom Pearce – South West Region Brenda Weston – South West Region Adele Williams – East Midlands Region Affiliates Anntoinette Bramble – Local Government Association Eda Cazimoglu – Labour Students Phillipa Marsden – Unite David McCrossen – Usdaw June Nelson – BAME Labour Barbara Plant – GMB Maggie Ryan – Unite Elected Representatives Lucy Powell MP Tim Swift – Association of Labour Councillors Julie Ward MEP * Co-convenor 8 NATIONAL POLICY FORUM Report 2019 | Early Years, Education and Skills Policy Commission Policy development The Early Years, Education and Skills (EYES) Policy Commission is responsible for developing policy on a range of topics related to the wellbeing, development and care of children, as well as education, training and skills from childhood through adulthood. At Annual Conference 2018, delegates passed a motion on the school system. Following the passing of this motion, this year the Commission has been tasked with considering the issue of local, democratic accountability in the education system as its priority issue. The Commission has met several times to discuss and hear expert evidence on a range of topics related to the National Education Service (NES) and local accountability, including on further education, lifelong learning and Ofsted. The Commission began this year’s policy cycle at Women’s Conference 2018 and Annual Conference 2018. At Women’s Conference, delegates debated a composited motion on childcare. The motion noted that vital support for families with young children has been systematically destroyed by the cuts to, and closure of, children’s centres and Sure Start over the past eight years and it called on the Labour Party to keep public nurseries publicly run. During the debate, delegates discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to childcare including the importance of Sure Start and its interrelation with survivors of domestic violence; the cost of childcare being too high for working parents and the importance of early intervention and diagnosis for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These are issues that the Commission has also considered throughout the year in their discussion of members’ submissions. Although the motion was not carried through to Annual Conference, the issues raised by delegates at Women’s Conference were still addressed. During his speech at Annual Conference 2018, Jeremy Corbyn announced Labour’s plans for a radical expansion and transformation of free universal childcare. He told Conference that a Labour government will ensure that 30 hours of high quality, genuinely free childcare is available to all 2, 3 and 4-year-olds, with no means testing and that Labour will provide additional