We all know the best way to communicate is face to face. Candidates who seen in the local community do best in the long term. Leaflets are a poor substitute for two-way communication. When they’re pushed through the door furtively, they get chucked in the bin with a pizza leaflet.

But in most campaigns, it is important to put something on paper, to give residents an idea of what the candidates are standing for, show them what issues matter, and how they can be held to account. And delivering a leaflet is one good excuse to knock the door and get a conversation started. If we knock the door, we show that Labour campaigners are committed and articulate volunteers. There are better ways to talk to voters than the cold door-knock – in public meetings, at street stalls, in community groups. And there are better reasons to knock the door – asking residents to get involved in a specific campaign for example. But if you must deliver leaflets, never push it through the letterbox without knocking the door.

by Jon Wilson, Greenwich and Woolwich CLP