The Conservative Party relies on the goodwill and enthusiasm of its members and volunteers in every activity it undertakes, with members leading the direction of the local party. The local party is made up of Members, Branches and the Association Executive:

Members

Members are local residents in the constituency who pay £25 a year to join the Party through their local Association. Anyone under the age of 22 can join the Party for £5 and automatically becomes a member of Conservative Future.

People join for a variety of reasons, whether from a desire to support a Conservative Government or local council, to enjoy a social life through fundraising events, or because they are passionate about discussing and informing policy at a local, regional and national level. Members of the Conservative Party are entitled to vote in the selection of Conservative candidates for local elections, in Parliamentary elections and for prospective leaders of the Conservative Party.

Branches

Members in local area, such as a town, village or council ward, form a branch. Our branches organise a range of activities from fundraising events to campaigning, delivering leaflets and canvassing.The branch committee take on similar roles as the Executive Committee. Crucially, the branch organises the selection of local government candidates for their area.

Association Executive

The Association Executive meets quarterly to decide which way the local Association should go in fundraising and campaigning matters and is made up of nominated members from each branch and councillors. At the AGM the membership appoints a Management Committee to create a plan of how the association should move forward, which reports to the Executive, which in turn approves the plan.

Conservative Women’s Organisation

The Conservative Women's Organisation (CWO) is a network which provides support for women, in all communities, to be politically active and to get elected at all levels of government, and to campaign locally, nationally and internationally on the issues that concern women. To find out more, visit the CWO website: http://www.conservativewomen.org.uk/