A report by a committee of MPs said that the existing system of party funding was 'unstable' and had a 'negative impact' on voters. It proposed an increase in state funding for parties, accompanied by a lower national cap on spending and a voluntarily agreed binding framework for limited donations.
Source: Party Funding, First Report (Session 2006-07), HC 163, House of Commons Constitutional Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Labour Party press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Dec
An official review body examining the funding of political parties published an interim assessment of the issues involved, and set out a range of possible reform options.
Source: An Interim Assessment, Review of the Funding of Political Parties (020 7210 0538)
Links: Report | RFPP press release | BBC report
Date: 2006-Oct
A report examined how the three main political parties selected local councillors, and suggested ways in which they could recruit from a broader cross-section of society. The existing trend was for a bias towards white, middle-aged, male candidates.
Source: Paul Wheeler, Political Recruitment: How local parties recruit councillors, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Date: 2006-Oct
A report highlighted the extent to which politics at a local level had declined. In most constituencies the level of campaigning in the 2005 General Election was at a 'derisory' level.
Source: Local Politics: A Case for Treatment?, Unlock Democracy c/o New Politics Network (020 7278 4443)
Links: Report | Unlock Democracy press release | BBC report
Date: 2006-Oct
A pamphlet put forward proposals for reviving and remodelling the democratic processes within the Labour Party, designed to make it an outward-looking party, firmly rooted in society - capable not just of successful electioneering, but strong on-the-ground campaigning.
Source: Jon Cruddas and John Harris, Fit for Purpose: A programme for Labour Party renewal, Compass (neal@compassonline.org.uk)
Links: Pamphlet
Date: 2006-Oct
A think-tank report said that political parties continued to have a vital role to play in making democracy work ? and that neither voluntary organizations nor the media could adequately fulfil these roles. It proposed a new deal that could help the parties grow once again ? including changes to their legal status and their funding, as well as recommendations for how the parties could rebuild themselves as strong civic institutions, rooted in local communities.
Source: Fiona Mactaggart MP, Geoff Mulgan and Rushanara Ali, Parties for the Public Good, Young Foundation (020 8980 6263)
Date: 2006-Oct
A new book described the policy agenda of the opposition Liberal Democrat Party.
Source: Julian Astle, David Laws, David Marshall and Alasdair Murray (eds.), Britain After Blair: A Liberal Agenda, Profile Books (020 7841 6300)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Sep
A think-tank report said that political parties needed to open themselves up, engage with social activists and others, and reform their structures to fit with modern lifestyles.
Source: Douglas Alexander MP (Secretary of State for Transport and Scotland) and Stella Creasy, Serving a Cause, Serving a Community: The role of political parties in today's Britain, Demos, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Date: 2006-Sep
A think-tank report proposed an alternative to centralized state funding of political parties in the shape of a ?civic aid? scheme, under which ?25 would be allocated to a political party when an individual donor or member gave any sum over ?50. It said that parties would only be able to rebut accusations of sleaze if they adopt an alternative form of state funding that rewarded local activism and capped large donations.
Source: Chris Leslie, Who Pays for the Party? An opportunity to rejuvenate grassroots politics, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
The elections watchdog published a set of key principles which it said should underpin any system for the funding of political parties. These included encouraging smaller contributions from a larger number of people, and ensuring that no single funding source could exert undue influence.
Source: Press release 16 May 2006, Electoral Commission (020 7271 0500)
Links: Electoral Commission press release
Date: 2006-May
The government announced that it would seek to make it compulsory for all political parties to disclose any loans they received. This followed the revelation that 12 people had given the Labour Party almost 14 million in undeclared loans ahead of the 2005 general election, and allegations that some of them had been rewarded with peerages.
Source: House of Lords Hansard, Debate 20 March 2006, columns 12-20, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar