Dear all,

All upcoming Kingston & Surbiton Labour Party meetings and campaign sessions have been suspended until further notice. This is as a result of the ongoing public health crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

This decision has been taken by Jennie Formby, the General Secretary of the UK Labour Party, and is endorsed by our CLP Committee. As you may be aware, the upcoming Mayoral and GLA elections have now been postponed until May 2021.

It is necessary to suspend activities such as canvassing to ensure that the Party plays its role in containing the spread of the disease. The suspension of CLP meetings will also ensure that members needing to self-isolate will not be excluded from democratic participation. Local charities such as Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness (KCAH) and Growbaby Kingston are already looking for donations to help support their preparations for the spread of Coronavirus. Members are encouraged to get in touch with details of any organisations looking for assistance. As a political party, we must also maintain a level-headed, constructive scrutiny of local and national government responses to the pandemic. Please feel free to air any concerns to myself or any member of our CLP Committee.

Above all, we encourage you to follow the guidance that has been issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO): https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Candice Atterton, our South West London Assembly Member candidate, and Sophie Bolt, our Regional Organiser, for all of the help and support they have given the CLP over the past few weeks. Our local Labour Party is a community and a family of its own. We will endeavour to find new ways of organising and staying in touch as this situation unfolds.

In the meantime, we send you our best wishes and deepest solidarity.

Conor

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Conor Bollins

Chair for Kingston & Surbiton Labour