Oxford & District Labour AGM 2026

The Annual General Meeting of the Oxford & District Labour Party will take place on Friday 13th March at 7:30pm in the Bill Buckingham Room at the Rose Hill Community Centre, Carole’s Way, Oxford, OX4 4HF.

CLP Officer Role Descriptions are available here.

CLP Officer Candidate Statements:

Co-chair

Vice Chair Campaigns

John Tanner

I would like to stand again as Vice Chair Campaigns for the Oxford Party. I am 79 and deaf but it doesn’t stop me canvassing regularly and even chairing meetings.

I was a councillor in Oxford for 31 years, rising to Leader and Lord Mayor. I retired as a councillor in 2021. With Anneliese Dodds MP I line manage our excellent organiser, Klaudia Zaporowska.

Last year’s County elections were difficult and future polls are not going to be any easier. In the City Council elections on 7th May I want to make sure that Labour wins enough seats to be at least the largest group. If we can achieve a Labour majority all the better.

Either way we can expect all-out elections to a new ‘shadow’ unitary council, on new boundaries, in May 2027. To win we must be united, in constant contact with the voters and target our campaigning.

As the General Election showed if we work together, listen to the public and choose where we campaign, we can win. Please nominate me and vote for me. Many thanks.

John Tanner   07816 837805 & john@tanox.co.uk

Vice Chair Membership

Ann Black 

Secretary

James Taylor and Thomas Boyd (job share)

Treasurer

Chewe Munkonge

I am pleased to stand for re-election as Treasurer of the Oxford & District Labour Party. Since being elected to this role in July last year, I have greatly valued the opportunity to serve the CLP and to support its campaigning and organisational priorities through strong financial stewardship.

Over the past year, the transition into the Treasurer role has gone smoothly, and I am confident that our financial systems, reporting processes, and compliance arrangements are working well. I have ensured that the CLP continues to meet all statutory responsibilities under PPERA, including accurate financial record-keeping, timely submissions, and appropriate donation and lender checks.

Beyond compliance, my central focus is supporting the CLP to raise the funds needed to win elections. Effective campaigning depends on strong, well-planned fundraising, and I am committed to working closely with the Executive Committee and Fundraising Officers to set realistic targets, develop sustainable budgets, and keep members informed through clear and transparent financial reporting.

Looking ahead, the challenge of fundraising will become even more important in the context of potential Local Government Reorganisation. Expanded boundaries and new electoral realities will require greater financial resilience, careful planning, and disciplined oversight to campaign effectively at scale and secure electoral success.

I am happy to continue in this role, offering continuity, diligence, and transparency at a critical time, and helping to build a strong financial foundation for winning elections and securing the CLP’s future success.

Trade Union Liaison Officer

Women’s Officer

BAME Officer

Disability Officer

LGBT+ Officer

Youth & Student Officer

Functional officers, entitled to attend executive committee meetings without voting power:

Policy Officer

Charlotte Vinnicombe

I would like to be considered for re-election as the Oxford and District Labour Party Policy Officer for a second year.

The Policy Officer is responsible for giving members meaningful opportunities to play their part in developing Labour Party policies, and to help members learn about, and engage with, Labour Party policy consultations.

National Policy Forum

I now understand better the consultation process that is organised by the National Policy Forum (‘NPF’), having undertaken their training, and then led discussions amongst party members at an online event last May.  We focused on two key policy themes – breaking down barriers to opportunity, and making Britain a clean energy superpower – and anyone wishing to read our reports on those is welcome to request a copy.  Having been through this consultation process once (with Ann Black’s invaluable help!) I will be in a better position to organise more of these NPF events in 2026, to ensure that all of the key topics are discussed.

Engaging members

I have supported the ODLP Chairs in organising informal discussions of motions and policy issues at our all-member meetings.  We have also started to collect ‘local and national Labour successes’ from members, which I am writing up onto a set of slides to display at meetings when the equipment enables us to do so.

Other activity

In my capacity as Policy Officer I have attended most Executive Committee meetings in the past year, though of course this role does not give me a vote at EC meetings.

I would be happy to build on what I did last year year to organise more consultations and encourage more engagement in 2026.

Thank you.

Social Media Officer

Assistant Secretary

Melodi Dogru

I am a second year History and Politics student and the co-chair of the Oxford Labour Club for the upcoming summer term. I have been involved in the Oxford Labour Club since 2024 on various roles such as the Women’s Officer, Campaigns Officer and Welfare Office. Growing up in Türkiye, my parents used to regularly take me to workers’ day protests, so I have been passionate about left-wing politics since I was young. When I moved to the UK at the age of 13, I quickly got involved in the party and since then, have tried to be as active in my communities as possible. Having been the Assistant Secretary for the last year, I really enjoyed being part of the administrative work needed to keep the CLP going and I would love to continue this year. I am also eager to expand the connection between the CLP and the student body, and I think being involved in the EC as a young person is a good first step towards this.

Fundraising Officer

Ralph Noble

My name is Ralph and I have recently moved to Oxford where I live in Headington. I believe I am a good fit for the role of fundraising officer because of my previous experience in the Labour Party and commitment to seeing Oxford Labour succeed. While at University in York I served as Treasurer of the local party following the general election. In this time I worked to successfully run a fundraiser for the local party and help negotiate financing for the Haxby by-election 2024. Following this I became Secretary of my home branch in Faversham where I helped to run and promote a Jazz night fundraiser for my branch. In this I see the importance of holding creative and engaging events to raise funds for Oxford Labour. With the upcoming set of successive elections in the next few years it is vital Oxford Labour has the capacity to power our movement. In this role I pledge to build upon the work of our recent fundraiser in creating opportunities for our movement to come together and socialise, while enabling us to succeed at the ballot box.

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Delegate for Oxford City Local Government Committee, Oxford East

Julia Drown

I would like to be a delegate to the City’s Local Government Committee. This Committee has struggled to operate this year due to there not being a secretary for the latter part of the year and minimal attendance from members. I’d be prepared to fill the role of secretary or other role to get the committee more active.

The Committee’s roles do overlap with others within the District Party and City Council Labour Group. So rather than replicate others, I would use my place on the LGC to support them where needed, to allow more people to input to our work and to make our work more effective.

Although I would not be able to make many/any of the Labour Group meetings I would be able to support :

• • getting candidates selected and trained
  • organising campaigning
  • engaging members in policy issues
  • producing a manifesto and monitoring the implementation of it

I’m conscious that Local Government Organisation may mean that we have new wards and a new Council which in turn will mean that we need to create new structures and I could help deliver that.

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Conference Delegates 

Thomas Boyd

Many of you will know me as the St Clements candidate in the upcoming May elections and as one of your CLP Secretaries. These roles keep me closely connected to the day-to-day work of running the party here locally, and also mean I can feed insights and updates from Conference back into the running of ODLP throughout the year, rather than only immediately afterwards. Maintaining that ongoing link between the national party’s direction and our work locally is something I see as vitally important, and I would be committed to continuing that.

Over the past two years I have had the privilege of serving as one of our Conference delegates, which has given me a good understanding of how Conference works in practice, from the floor debates and voting to the many policy discussions in fringes that take place throughout the week. Having been through it all before, I feel confident navigating the ins and outs of Conference ensuring Oxford’s and Abingdon’s progressive values, successes (and struggles) continues to be heard clearly with the wider party.

We are fortunate to have strong candidates standing, and whoever is chosen will represent our CLP well. I would be very grateful for your support.

Melodi Dogru 

Hello! As a current undergraduate student, I do my best to be actively involved in the CLP as much as possible. Some of you may have seen me volunteering in the ODLP office every Monday during term time. I try to support our very busy Klaudia as much as I can with her weekly tasks. You may have also known me as your Assistant Secretary, taking minutes and arranging room booking for our AMMs. Thanks to these roles, I learnt so much about the way local organising and party administration makes a difference in our lives. Some others might yet know me as the incoming cochair of the Oxford University Labour Club. Since starting university in 2024, I have occupied different roles in the OLC, including being the Campaigns Officer. Through this role, I met many of you on the doorstep, helping to get the students out with you to campaign for a better Oxford.

Nevertheless, I have never had the opportunity or resources to attend conference. Attending this year would mean a great deal to me – not only as a chance to learn more about the party that has already given me so much, but also to represent the energy and commitment of the young people I work with here in Oxford. As a young but keen member, I am especially motivated to help strengthen the link between the party and Oxford’s large student community. I want to set a positive example and ensure that young people continue to feel represented, engaged, and empowered within Labour during these difficult times. Thank you, I hope you consider me in your vote!

Stephen Harwood

My sincere apologies for being absent from this AGM (due to a long-planned trip abroad). I am grateful for my nominations and ask you to elect me as a Conference delegate for the Oxford East CLP.

I am very proud to be campaigning as our City Council candidate for the Lye Valley ward, and hope to be able to attend Conference in September as an elected councillor. In my last two years of involvement in the local party I have been proud of the fact that we stand for progressive, inclusive Labour values – at a time when the national centre of gravity has shifted away from these. I believe that we can use our platform at Conference to champion our values, the voice of our membership, and our successes as a local party.

I understand that the delegate role would involve long days and a lot of work, but I would relish the opportunity to fulfil that role on your behalf.
And finally, as a (still quite recent) graduate of the University of Liverpool, I would very gladly return what I consider to be my second home city.