We present some ideas, on notice, guidance & deadlines.

• The “contemporary” restriction should be removed, as it was between 2018 and 2023 (and before 1997)

• CLPs should have clearer notice. This year CLPs were pretty much obliged to hold a meeting in early September, a special meeting unless their regular monthly meetings are early in the month, to submit motions. To be “contemporary”, motions minimally have to refer to events after a certain date. That was 8 August this year, but that was unclear to CLPs until (at best) quite late. If there is to be a “cut-off” date, it should be announced clearly well in advance.

• Motions should be published (online) very soon after the deadline date, rather than being revealed to delegates little more than an hour before the priorities ballot starts.

• The CAC should publish all ruled-out motions (as a number of unions do, for example), to enable informed challenge by conference to the rulings-out.

• The CAC’s licence in categorising motions by “topic” should be limited.

This year the CAC devised 46 topics for 100-odd motions, including the union motions. That guarantees that most motions will not get debated (only 12 topics, or this year 14, get debated); and the allocation to topics is often arbitrary or even misleading (would you think “corporate structure” is about water renationalisation, or understand why it is classified apart from other motions on water?)