Parliamentary and Assembly Selection
CANDIDATE CV – Contact details
Name – Last / RobinsonName – First / Richard
Membership Number / A083763
Current home constituency / Broxtowe
Trade Union / UNITE, GMB
Phone – Day / 01582 457774
Phone – Eve / 01773 531315
Phone – Mob / 0775 1970 640
Email 1 /
Email 2 /
Address / 7 Scargill Avenue
Newthorpe
Nottingham
Post Code / NG16 2DZ
Date form completed
31 May 2013
Parliamentary and Assembly Selection
CANDIDATE CV – Monitoring
It is important for the Labour Party to monitor its candidate selection process. Please complete this form, using an X to indicate the relevant information.
18-29 / 30-39 / 40-49 / 50-59 / 60-69 / 70+Age / / / / / /
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Parliamentary and Assembly Selection
CANDIDATE CV – Personal details
Please complete the following sections to provide information about your skills and experience:
Length of Labour Party Membership< than 1 year / / 1-5 years / / 6-10 years / / 11-20 years / / > 20 years /
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< than 1 year / / 1-5 years / / 6-10 years / / 11-20 years / / > 20 years /
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Candidate / Town or parish / / District or County / / Unitary / / National or Europe /
And now in your own words please describe
Why you should be the candidate for the seat in question?
I have a deep personal connection with the area, having been born in the AmberValley constituency in the village of Holbrook. I married Sarah who was born and raised in Langley Mill and whose family still live there. We were married within the constituency and Sarah currently works in the borough of AmberValley. We have many friends and family in AmberValley and I have always taken a personal interest in the political and social issues in the area.
I have been campaigning in AmberValley and across the East Midlands Region for many years and in that time I have consolidated and built on my relationships with the local people and the local Amber Valley Labour activists. I have become deeply involved in the issues that affect them, have already established a wide network of contacts and I am confident that together, we can win AmberValley back for Labour.
Through campaigning with the local Amber Valley Labour activists, I believe I have earned their trust. We hold a common belief that Labour can achieve a better future for the local people.
I know this is a winnable seat for Labour but the Conservatives will not give in easily, that’s why we need a hardworking, experienced campaigner. I have the skills and expertise, as well as the knowledge and experience of running successful campaigns, to make the necessary gains to win back AmberValley for the Labour Party. I also have the necessary passion, dedication and commitment to effect necessary changes.
I have been active in politics for the Labour Party for well in excess of twenty years, as a CountyCouncillor, Borough Councillor as well as the Labour Party candidate in Charnwood, Leicestershire (2005). In coming second, I achieved the 4th lowest swing (0.68%) against Labour throughout the whole of the East Midlands, taking 2500 additional votes from the Tories (verified by House of Commons researchers). I received commendation from the then General Secretary of the Labour Party for the result.
I have demonstrated my capacity to run a successful national campaign, as well as all year round campaigns on grass root issues, and an ability to build strong successful campaign teams. My track record and experience as a Labour councillor fighting marginal wards, in neighbouring Broxtowe, is second to none. I have defeated both the Tories and Liberal Democrats successfully in 1991, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2011. In May 2011 in my 3 member ward, we unseated two established Tory councillors (the only ward throughout Broxtowe to take seats from the Tories). This experience of winning will prove invaluable in this critical, and highly marginal seat of AmberValley.
During my time on the doorsteps in AmberValley I have listened very carefully to the real issues which affect real people. My Labour Party colleagues and I are confident that we can put together a comprehensive strategy on how to tackle and effectively meet the challenges facing these local communities. These challenges include the regeneration of town centres, unemployment, tackling deprivation and the numerous issues facing young people.
What do we need to do to win this election?
We need to demonstrate that we truly understand the depth of anger and despair of local people. We need to persuade them of our sense of mission to put things right and we need to show our commitment to work hard on their behalf to provide a better future for all the people in AmberValley. On 5 May 2010 at the GeneralElectionAmberValley was lost to the Tories by 536 votes, after two recounts. My recent campaigning in AmberValley has convinced me that the people of the area are ready to give the Labour Party another chance. We need to grasp this opportunity and win AmberValley back for Labour.
I have identified four key campaigning themes which I know will help us re-establish our relationship and trust with the voting public of AmberValley.
1. Aclear and consistent message.
We will successfully communicate our message to voters: Labour is the only party able to deliver real change; change that affects the everyday lives of people throughout AmberValley, and change that not just identifies with their everyday struggles, but change that offers real hope for a better future against the misery of current economic policy.
2. I am a politician who leads by example.
Teamwork is the corner-stone of any successful endeavour – in politics and in life. I will combine my considerable experience of successful Labour campaigning and winning over the past 20 years, with my ability to build strong teams, and get the best out of people. Labour Party activists in AmberValley know me very well now; I’ve been part of the campaigning team since October 2011. I have continually mobilised other Labour Party members, friends, family and colleagues from other constituencies in the East Midlands and further afield to help us build a campaign that can win the AmberValley seat.
3. We need to restore faith and trust in the Labour Party and in politics.
Party affiliation has fallen substantially since the 1950s, and as demonstrated by declining voter turnout, the public are now more deeply sceptical of politicians than in earlier times. What excites me about AmberValley however is that there is already a fantastic group of activists who campaign on the doorstep week in week out. I have been part of the AmberValley canvassing team since October 2011 and we can see the difference it makes in winning council seats and helping ensure we elected a Labour Police and Crime Commissioner in October last year and the brilliant results in the County Council elections on 3 May 2013. As Labour parliamentary candidate and then on becoming the Labour MP in AmberValley I am confident that together we can build on this success to recruit more members and engage strongly with the electorate.
I believe that the key to changing this landscape is connection with the grassroots. This involves demonstrating our ability to listen, to understand and empathise, and to be wholly transparent and accountable. I demonstrate these capabilities every day in my role as a councillor in neighbouring Broxtowe. Some voters in AmberValley are already familiar with my passion for people, how I have championed regeneration in local areas, the needs of the disabled and other marginalised groups and those who don’t have a voice. They know that I can honestly and directly identify with them through my own life experiences. I have no doubt that trust is the essential pre-condition upon which all real success depends, and that I have earned that trust.
4. We need to win the support of voters who don’t normally vote Labour.
I will use my skills of being able to harness the support of those people who don’t traditionally vote Labour by both setting out a vision for a better future and highlighting the current failings in government policies and how they are having a direct effect in the constituency of AmberValley.
I work on the assumption that politics is local and I will engage with voters, as I have been doing, in their neighbourhoods on the local issues that affect them. I understand the socio-economic make up of AmberValley, and the way that the local people think. Through my “on the ground” campaigning I have discussed a wide variety of issues with a broad range of people, irrespective of their political allegiances. While we may not agree all the time, they respect my openness and honesty, and I believe they recognise my integrity.
I have an excellent record of winning over non-traditional Labour voters, as repeatedly demonstrated in Broxtowe where I have topped local election polls in 2003, 2007 and 2011. I will give people a reason to put a cross against my name.
Your Labour Party experience
The Labour Party, and what it stands for, play a huge part in my life. I have been directly involved with politics in the Labour Party for well in excess of twenty years. I believe in democratic socialism and strive to ensure that equality and justice is at the very core of the day to day work I do.
I have been actively campaigning for the Labour Party inAmberValley week in week out since October 2011.
I was first elected as a Borough Councillor in 1991 and since then I have held Borough Council and County Council offices as well as being the Labour Party candidate for Charnwood in 2005.
I currently work as Senior Caseworker to Gavin Shuker MP (Luton South), Shadow Waste Minister.
I am also the Labour & Co-operative Party Broxtowe Borough Councillor (Member of Cabinet with Portfolio for Environment) for Kimberley and Cossall in Nottingham.
I am proud to have been a contributory author to “What Next for Labour? Ideas for a new generation” launched 1 September 2011.
I was the Regional Organiser for Ed Miliband MP - East Midlands Labour Leadership Campaign.
I have been a Labour Party Nottinghamshire County Councillor from 1997-2005.
In 2005 I was the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Charnwood (Leicestershire) a safe Tory seat.
For the 2010 General Election I was runner up in the Labour Party selections for Shrewsbury constituency and came fourth in the South Derbyshire selections.
I have managed the Constituency Offices of Labour MPs Helen Clark and Andy Reed, and was a voluntary Campaigns Co-ordinator for Nick Palmer in Broxtowe.
I act as mentor for North West Leicestershire Labour Group.
I am already working with the Leader of the Labour Group at Amber Valley District Council on regeneration initiatives for the area and we included some of our campaigning work in both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Labour manifestos for the 2013 County Council Elections.
I have campaigned for the Labour Party across the country and across the East Midlands in Erewash, Broxtowe, Loughborough, Ashfield, Derby, South Derbyshire, Leicester, Mansfield, Corby and Nottingham city.
I have attended the Labour Party conference every year since 2002 and spoke on the main platform in 2007.
I was extremely proud to have played a small part in helping Andy Sawford win Labour’s first parliamentary by-election for 16 years in Corby last October.
Other life experience, including work and study
As a Full Time Officer for UNISON in the West Midlands during 2011/12 - I thrived on the challenge of organising and managing campaigns which affected the lives of millions of low paid public sector workers. In this role I took the lead in recruiting new members in the local government sector. I used my organising skills to win for our members. I organised a branch structure to identify winnable issues and developed strategies to achieve successful outcomes.
When I worked for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) I developed an excellent working knowledge of the social security benefits system. This knowledge has proven invaluable in helping constituents with welfare enquiries. I am able to use my expertise to navigate successfully through the complexities of the benefits system in order to secure positive results for my constituents. As the government implements their awful welfare reforms I will be able to use my knowledge to campaign on the issues and stand up for the hard working families who are losing out in AmberValley. I will use my experience of working in the DWP to campaign for a benefits system that does not penalise those people who need help the most.
As a mature student and, thanks to the last Labour government I undertook a BA degree at Nottingham Trent University in Humanities, Sociology, History and Politics, graduating in June 2000. I duly won an award for my writing in the same year.
I serve as a Community Governor at a local primary school giving me an invaluable insight into the huge range of work undertaken in primary education, as well as the integral role they play in the local community.
I served on Nottinghamshire Police Authority for six years and hugely enjoyed the role I played, forging better links between the local community and police. I also initiated a pilot project to build closer relations between youngsters (primary school age) and the police. The results of my work were sent to the Home Office under the last Labour government to help formulate policy on early intervention.
I am a Leader in my local community where I am recognised as “a person who gets things done”. I have undertaken personal casework for hundreds of people on issues ranging from housing and social security benefit enquiries to planning matters, nuisance neighbours, anti social behaviour, funding for community groups and much more.
I have successfully pioneered a local farmers market which is helping to regenerate a local town.
I am also actively involved in helping members of the public feel involved in their local area. For example I have set up a Citizens Focus Group (CFG) that gives a voice to local people and helps them exert influence on matters of importance to them. The CFG has attracted positive publicity from the BBC Politics show and has also gained recognition from NottinghamTrentUniversity. My motivation for setting up the CFG is that I want to reverse the view that politics is uninteresting and irrelevant.
I am a member of the recently formed Nottingham Fabian Society. I am working with the group to widen its appeal and membership; I also contribute by arranging speakers through my broad base of national contacts, as well as actively participating in the stimulating and lively debates.
I am a member of both Unite and GMB trade unions, and attend monthly meetings of the GMB regional forum in the East Midlands.
I have assisted a number of charities with funding applications, and in particular over the last 3 years I have been successful in helping many of them obtain extra resources.
Outside of politics I take a keen interest in football, music and trying to keep fit, especially running.
What makes you a great campaigner?
I care passionately about the Labour Party and its values. I am driven and committed to work towards achieving greater social justice and a fairer, more inclusive society.
When I campaign for the Labour Party I believe completely in what I am doing. I have an abundance of energy and enthusiasm and I work extremely hard. My experience and intuition have given me a good eye for constituency matters which are important to real people. I have experience of running effective and successful campaigns, and of putting together strong campaign teams.
When I work on a campaign I have a clear and consistent message, and I work hard to ensure that I get my ideas across. I develop a campaign message which is simple and consistent throughout the whole campaign. I have, in my many years in politics, worked hard to develop good media skills, and have the ability to use the media to communicate my ideas. I am committed to the tried and tested and most effective strategy in politics; meeting people face to face on their own door step.
I am fortunate in having worked with Labour colleagues who have described my campaign attributes as follows:
Nick Palmer Labour MP for Broxtowe 1997 – 2010:
“Richard Robinson is an indefatigable campaigner with a fine eye for constituency issues that have political implications and has been invaluable in his work for me as coordinator of political activity in his area. He is adept at winning allies from community figures not otherwise involved in politics, as well as having access to very good media preparation, and I’m certain would make an effective Labour candidate for the next General Election”.