fonds GB 0210 COOPWAL - Co-operative Party Wales papers

Karen Wilkie is (2015) board secretary and acting general secretary to the Co-operative Party; also sometime national organiser of the Co-operative Party in Wales.

A 1999 diagram of the structure of the Co-operative Party in Wales gives the composition of the Wales Council of the Co-operative Party/Cyngor Cymru y Blaid Gydweithredol as three MPs, two AMs, one official Co-op Councillor, representatives of the Party Councils (2 each, plus 1 for each 50 members), and the National Organiser. The council affiliates to the Wales Labour Party, nominates to the Wales Labour Party Executive and Forum, sends delegates and motions to Wales Labour Party conferences, and is funded by party council affiliations and a grant from the NEC. The party councils were CRS West Wales (3 branches), CRS South Wales (12 branches), CRS Bristol (members in Chepstow), Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester (until recently [1999], members in Monmouth), CRS North West (branches in north Wales) and Shropshire Party (members in east/mid Wales). The party councils each comprise six members nominated by their Retail Society Regional Committee, and two from each party branch. The party councils affiliate to Constituency Labour Parties, send delegates to Constituency and County Labour Parties (although they may delegate this to the branches), and are funded by a grant from their Societies. The branches comprise all members, who should receive notice of branch meetings, and are funded by membership subscriptions and a grant from their Party Council.