WEST KENT NEWS News for Conservative Members and Activists from West Kent Campaign HQ Edition Number 1. June 2014. Email: westkentconservatives@gmail.com Tel: 01732 842794 or 01892 522581
Dear Member The local and European elections on Thursday 22 May brought mixed results. We need an honest debate on what we could have done differently or better. It is no secret that in Maidstone Borough we lost seats and vote share whilst in neighbouring Tunbridge Wells the Conservative vote increased, UKIP’s fell and we gained two seats from the opposition. Tunbridge Wells was also the only borough in Kent where we topped the EU poll. Last year the opposite was the case, with UKIP making substantial inroads in Tunbridge Wells. In fact their bandwagon was rolling with such speed that they publicly predicted seven gains before retiring with a duck! By analysing their success and interviewing Con-UKIP switchers we were able to fine-tune our campaign style and messages and turn things around. Obviously a newsletter like this is not the place to discuss what may have gone wrong, but as we head towards 2015 we should perhaps consider:
Early selection of council candidates, making sure they have as much time as possible to establish themselves and raise their profile.
Regular constituency-wide newsletters with MP on one side and ward specific copy on the reverse.
Weekly doorstep campaigning to build pledges, so we know where our supporters are and can encourage them to vote.
Relentless focus on turning Conservative pledges into postal voters, as twice as many of them vote by post than in person.
Continued development of clear, strong and confident messages about why people should vote for the Conservative Party at local and national level.
In the nine months leading to polling day TW Conservatives knocked on 20,000 doors and delivered almost a quarter of a million newsletters. A Conservative pledge in a target council ward would have heard from us ten times during the campaign (four times in the week leading to polling day). It works. Tunbridge Wells Association have no more physical resources than any other; this was achieved by a team of councillors and candidates, supporter by a handful of volunteers. Over the coming weeks I will be working with your Association Officers, Members of Parliament, Council Leaders and key activists to ensure we have a campaign strategy in place which is realistic, forward looking, achievable and fit for purpose. A key part in delivering our victory next year will be to identify and recruit new helpers and activists, and the West Kent Management Team have already signed-off a plan to achieve just that (see overleaf). This is just one of many initiatives we will be rolling out between now and the end of the year to help ensure our candidates have the tools they need to win in 2015. With best wishes and thanks
Andrew Kennedy Agent & Campaign Director
SUMMER RAFFLE LOOKING GOOD! By now you should have received your Summer Raffle tickets. The proceeds from the raffle make an important contribution to our funds following a costly May election campaign. You also have the chance of winning the top prize of £10,000! So far, the returns from the raffle are very encouraging. Four of our five Associations are showing increased sales compared with 2013, and two Associations (Maidstone & The Weald and Faversham & Mid Kent) have already topped last year’s total in the first three days! If you intend to support this year’s draw it would be really helpful if you would return your counterfoils as soon as possible, as this will save us the postage costs to send a reminder.
CALLING ALL CAMPAIGNERS Following the resignation of the incumbent Conservative councillor, we will face a by-election in Staplehurst. At the time of writing this newsletter the date has not been announced, and the Maidstone & The Weald Association Chatham & Aylesford MP, Tracey Crouch, and will select their candidate next week, though several volunteers from across West Kent at a recent outstanding candidates have come forward. Maidstone Campaign Day. On 22 May John Perry held Staplehurst ward for the Conservatives by just 109 votes. Our winning vote share was just 33% with the Lib Dems on 27% and UKIP on 23% (others 17% between them). This really is a critical marginal seat with all to play for. If you can assist with any of the following tasks please let me know:
Envelope packing at Paddock Wood on Tuesday 10 June at 10am Leaflet deliveries every Saturday, commencing Saturday 14 June at 10am Traditional door-to-door canvassing commencing Monday 16 June 2014 Evening telephone canvassing (dates to be confirmed) from Paddock Wood Telling on polling day GOTV / knocking-up on polling day
If you are able to assist with any of the above, please email me at westkentconservatives@gmail.com along with your contact details and your availability.
OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEW CAMPAIGN HQ Senior Vice President of the Conservative Party, Steve Bell (centre) joined local constituency Chairmen and Officers to officially open the new West Kent Campaign HQ on Thursday 24 April. Steve Bell described the new HQ as “a model for the future” and congratulated all five Associations for their “vision”. He said, “Regional Campaign Centres are the future of campaigning, ensuring money is spent of winning elections not bricks and mortar. Well done to all concerned.”
IN SEARCH OF OUR LOST MEMBERS Political membership is in decline, and that’s as true here in West Kent as anywhere. Recruiting sufficient new members to replace those who sadly die, move away or fall ill is a challenge. The office send out membership renewal letters quarterly (in January, April, July and October). We then send a reminder to those who do not reply, and a second reminder two weeks before the membership will lapse. Members have a three month period to pay, so a member who is due in January will lapse on 31 March. This process normally results in 85%-90% renewals, which insofar as is goes is quite good. However, the 10%+ who do not respond equate to 200 members across the five associations or, given the average member contributes around £50, combined lost revenue of £10,000 per annum. Money we cannot afford to lose. After three letters have been sent, we forward a list of non-payers to the local Association for a personal visit. Unfortunately, for all the reasons previously discussed (lack of resource being the main one) we seldom follow-up our non-payers. As a result, they fall by the wayside and are lost. Often these people simply do not respond to direct mail, or want an opportunity to talk through their concerns before renewing their membership. A recent survey by CCHQ indicated that over 50% of non-renewals did not renew due to lack of personal contact. Last year one local member had a spare morning and popped in to see if there was anything to do. We had no packing or data entry, so I printed off a list of thirty lapsed members and asked him to call them and find out why. The results were quite surprising. Five paid there and then over the phone (using a debit card) and eight more sent a
cheque having received the phone call. These thirteen members between them contributed over £500. At the last meeting of the West Kent Executive comprising of the Chairmen and Treasurers of each of the five local Associations it was agreed to roll this out across the area. During July each Chairman will write to around 150-200 “lapsed” members, but rather than enclosing a form for the member to re-join, the letter will conclude, “One of our members will phone you later this week to answer any questions you might have and hopefully renew your membership, which can be done very simply and securely over the phone using a credit or debit card. “ The timing will require careful management as the letters will need to be printed, packed and posted a few days before the calls are made. Each Association will need to recruit a team of volunteers to come in and make the necessary phone calls using our new ten-line phone bank, and someone will need to be available to visit any lapsed member who request a personal call. But none of this is impossible. We have set a target of renewing at least 200 lapsed members across the area. I will be emailing each Association Management Team next week to agree a timetable, and will circulate dates in due course. Please help if you can.
ABOVE: Members hit the phones at the West Kent Phone Bank during the recent local election campaign.
REBUILDING THE TEAM FOR 2015 One of the most commonly heard complaints from candidates and councillors is lack of help at election time. Too few people are doing too much work; but worst of all our candidates and councillors spend their time delivering newsletters and packing envelopes when they should be engaging with voters on the doorsteps. The West Kent Executive and our MP’s are putting a plan in place to address this problem.
Our major campaign for this year is to “Rebuild the Team”. We have signed-off an ambitious plan to contact
around 10,000 Conservative voters in each constituency to ask them to help us win in 2015. The campaign will be fronted by our MP’s (or in the case of T&M, by Tom Tugendhat). A carefully selected group of residents will receive a personal letter asking them to help elect a Conservative MP and Conservative government. (NB: all costs will be met from Party funds). Recipients will not be asked for money or membership—deliberately so. Our most urgent need is to recruit a new generation of helpers and activists. Each letter will contain a reply-paid postcard for people to volunteer to deliver leaflets, display a poster and help with clerical work. They can also sign-up for the MPs e-newsletters or register an interest in becoming a councillor or attending social events. Our aim is to recruit a thousand new helpers across West Kent. The most important aspect of this campaign is that once new helpers have been identified, we make them feel welcome and valued. Too often we hear of people offering to help and no-one making contact, or worst still they return from work and find a bag of 500 leaflets on their doorstep without a please or thank you. A sure way to ensure they don’t help again.
WHO’S WHO IN WEST KENT Each of the five Conservative Associations comprising the “West Kent Group” nominate two members to the West Kent Executive. The West Kent Executive meets after each Association has held its own AGM and elects a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer and a Staffing Committee. They hold the lease on the West Kent Campaign HQ, oversee it’s work and employ the West Kent staff, with each Association paying a pro-rata share of costs. The present members of the West Kent Executive are:
William Rutherford
Chairman of Tunbridge Wells CA
John Wilson
Chairman of the West Kent Executive
Chairman of Maidstone & the Weald CA Vice Chairman of the West Kent Executive
Nick de Wiggondene
Jacques Arnold
Adrian Gulvin
Alan Bristow
Dave Street
Chris Garland
Chairman Faversham & Mid Kent CA
Treasurer Tonbridge & Malling CA
Andrew Kennedy
Agent and Campaign Director
Chairman Tonbridge & Malling CA
Treasurer Tunbridge Wells CA
Jon Botten
Allan Sullivan
Treasurer of Chatham & Aylesford CA Treasurer of the West Kent Executive
Chairman Chatham & Aylesford CA
Patrik Garten
Treasurer Faversham & Mid Kent CA
Treasurer Maidstone & The Weald CA
Admin and Office Manager
Matthew Boughton
Campaign Intern (Funded by Tom Tugendhat campaign)