Chingford & Woodford Green Community Independents (CWGCI) will stand candidates in two Waltham Forest wards on Thursday, 7th May, reports Marco Marcelline
A new independent community group backed by the former Labour politician Faiza Shaheen will field a slate of candidates in the upcoming May local elections.
Chingford & Woodford Green Community Independents (CWGCI) will stand a total crop of nine candidates on Thursday, 7th May, including two wards in Waltham Forest and one in Redbridge.
The group say they will challenge “politics as usual” and give local residents a “stronger voice in decisions affecting their area”.
CWGCI grew out of the 2024 General Election, when the Labour Party deselected Shaheen and picked Brent councillor Shama Tatler to run in her place. Shaheen then stood as an independent and achieved an almost identical vote share to Tatler, who came second behind incumbent Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
Helen Watson, chair of the group, said: “In our community, people are struggling but politics as usual has failed us. Too often, residents feel ignored and taken for granted. Chingford and Woodford Green deserves better but we won’t get it by voting for the same people.”
The group will stand candidates in Larkswood and Valley in Waltham Forest and Churchfields in Redbridge.
The group’s pledges include “the improvement of youth safety and local services, holding developers to account, pushing for the reopening of the Broadmead Road bridge and South Woodford Library and Gym, the development of a community plan for South Chingford, and the creation of People’s Assemblies”.
Shaheen, who now heads the tax reform organisation Tax Justice UK, has endorsed the CWGCI campaign and candidates, saying: “Our community is special and we deserve to have representation that will put us first. We need to send this failing Labour government and the previous failed Conservative Party a message – that we will no longer just vote for them blindly, it’s time for politics to change.”
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
