Reform in Sandwell: An Opportunity for Change — At Risk of Being Squandered

Sandwell is crying out for change.
That much is obvious to anyone who has lived here, worked here, or campaigned here over the last decade.

Trust in the status quo is low. Voters are disengaged, frustrated, and fed up with being taken for granted. This year’s all-out local elections in Sandwell present a rare and genuine opportunity to shake things up.

But opportunity alone doesn’t win elections. Organisation, visibility, and local engagement do.

And right now, serious questions need to be asked about whether Reform in Sandwell is anywhere near ready to meet that moment.

National messaging doesn’t win local elections

Reform’s national messaging clearly resonates with many voters. There is anger, there is appetite for disruption, and there is a desire to break away from tired political cycles.

But local elections are not general elections.

They are not won by slogans, glossy graphics, or borrowed outrage.
They are won by:

• Boots on the ground
• Door knocking
• Community meetings
• Local knowledge
• Named candidates people can question and trust
• Visibility where people actually live

So far in Sandwell, that local footprint is conspicuously thin.

Governance and engagement concerns

We have received information raising concerns about the internal organisation, governance, and culture of Reform in Sandwell.

It is alleged that these concerns include:

• Very low attendance at branch meetings
• Meetings taking place without formal minutes
• No regular public meetings open to residents and non-members
• Limited transparency around candidate selection and timing
• An inward-facing structure that discourages wider participation

It is also alleged that there is an atmosphere of excessive caution and mistrust, including fears of conversations being monitored and the alleged use of non-standard or “burner” communication methods.

These are allegations, but taken together they are red flags in any organisation that claims to be grassroots, democratic, and outward-looking.

Even setting all allegations aside, the visible reality remains:

• Minimal local campaigning
• No sustained ward-level activity
• Little evidence of outreach beyond existing members
• No clear, public local presence

A real opportunity — being mishandled

Let’s be clear:
Reform has an opportunity in Sandwell.

But it cannot rely on national branding to carry a local election campaign. If the current local management approach continues — inward-looking, centralised, and light on real-world campaigning — that opportunity risks being wasted.

Local elections reward those who show up early and often.

Labour, whatever one thinks of them, have already been campaigning locally for months. They understand the ground game. Reform must too — and fast.

Editor’s Comment (personal)

I’ll be honest: it’s disappointing and frustrating to have to write a blog like this.

I’ve spent years campaigning locally, advocating for transparency, accountability, and real change in Sandwell. This year’s all-out local elections present an ideal chance to finally achieve that — if the right candidates are put forward and supported properly.

Reform needs boots on the streets, not just posts online.
It needs greater outreach to non-members, not closed meetings.
It needs to start behaving like a local movement, not a national brand with a postcode attached.

I also sincerely hope that this election sees some strong, credible Independent voices step forward — and that voters give them a fair hearing and, crucially, their votes. Sandwell needs councillors who answer to residents, not party machines.

There is a window here. A real one.

But if it’s squandered — if this turns into another missed chance — then the next four years will be disastrous, not just politically, but for the communities that can least afford it.

There is an opportunity for change.

Don’t f#@! it up.

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#ReformUK #GrassrootsPolitics #CommunityFirst

#ChangeInSandwell #Accountability #Democracy

#BootsOnTheGround #LocalEngagement

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