Local organising needs to be the bedrock of Your Party

A community independent leader supporting Your Party has insisted that the ongoing work of organising locally needs to become “the bedrock” of the new left party.

Your Party has just announced the locations of numerous regional assemblies, and one will be taking place in the constituency of Khalid Sadur. The leader of Enfield Community Independents, Sadur is one of many local organisers around the country who got together with others in their area to challenge Keir Starmer’s Labour Party before and after the 2024 general election. And the movement in Enfield is now the main opposition to the local Labour-Tory axis locally.

Speaking to the Canary this week, Sadur insisted that:

Local groups, such as ours in Enfield, are not only preparing for the May 2026 elections but continue to support local campaigns such as opposition to proposed cuts in council budgets, loss of public green belt land at Whitewebbs Park and divestment from Enfield council pension fund investments supporting a genocide. This is the work undertaken at a local level that should be the bedrock for any new party; a truly grassroots movement led locally but supported nationally.

Amid the challenges surrounding the setting up of the new party, he stressed:

it is important to recognise that work needs to continue on the ground.

Real grassroots work is what will bring real change with Your Party

Sadur gave an example of why ongoing community engagement is key. He explained that:

Last week, we were out canvassing for the local elections in Enfield next May.

We knocked on a door where an 85-year-old pensioner emphatically stated that he would be voting Reform at the next election.

He had lived in Edmonton his entire life, worked and contributed to society, but recently discovered he would be paying taxes on his meagre pension due to the ongoing freeze in the personal tax allowance imposed by the Tories and continued by Labour.

This was just one example of Reform swaying voters we have met recently; hard-working families, struggling with the cost of living, not racist, but frustrated with our mainstream parties and looking for an alternative.

And he added that:

After speaking to our pensioner and running through several Reform policies (such as their proposal to slash £50bn from public services) it became clear to him that continued austerity was the real issue and not immigration or small boats.

Voter turnout in the constituency he ran in at the 2024 election was just 54%, he noted. So it’s clear that most people “are either disillusioned or dissatisfied with politics”. And that’s precisely why conversations like the one above are so essential, he stressed:

We need to engage with people at a local level, understand their concerns and bring real solutions to their lives. The majority of residents we have met in recent weeks have never seen their local councillor and most are unaware of who they are. Even if they do, they often never receive a reply to an email or phone call back if a query is raised. Local representative democracy has been turned into a leaflet every four years by the mainstream parties with a request to vote for a candidate who will never be seen again.

Unity matters and ordinary people’s voices matter

Sadur is “proud that the North London [assembly] event will be taking place in Enfield” and is looking forward to it. He also urged people not to let their doubts about Your Party to take focus away from the importance of unity and grassroots participation. As he explained:

The assembly provides a space which has been sorely neglected by the mainstream parties; namely an opportunity for ordinary voters and residents to meet with like-minded people and help shape the direction of their party. As with any new endeavour, it has faced some initial stumbling blocks. But the aspiration is noble. And we urge everyone in and around North London to register and attend the event on Saturday 25 October.

It is your chance to have your say about Your Party.

Featured image via the Canary