Set up in response to the Bradford riots, Bradford Community Accord is a successful community liaison service.

It was established to fulfil a need identified after the disturbances for an intermediary service working to prevent problems escalating.

We spoke to Muhamed Elsideek of the Community Accord Team about their work.

Q: WHY was Community Accord set up?

A: Community Accord was established in 2003 following the 2001 Bradford riots, at a time when the city was working to rebuild trust, strengthen community cohesion, and improve relationships between neighbours. It was initially set up within Bradford Council, supported by Government Neighbourhood Renewal Funding, to provide an impartial, accessible mediation service for residents experiencing conflict.

Q: How has Community Accord developed since it was established?

A: The organisation grew quickly due to high demand for neighbourhood mediation. By 2007 it was handling around 1,000 cases per year, far more than in its early years. In 2008, Community Accord became a fully independent not for profit company, allowing it to expand its services beyond Bradford and work with a wider range of partners.

Today, we operate across Yorkshire, the East Midlands, the South East, and London, delivering mediation, training, and conflict resolution services to local authorities, housing providers, workplaces, and community organisations.

A major development over the last 12 years has been Community Accord’s growth into one of the UK’s most experienced Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) mediation providers. During this time, we have delivered thousands of SEND mediation cases across multiple local authorities.

We have built a team of specialist SEND mediators with deep knowledge of EHCP processes, supported families through disagreements about assessments, provision, and placements, and provided Mediation Information Meetings (MIMs) and early stage support

We have developed a reputation for fair, child centred, and legally informed mediation practice.

Q: What services does Community Accord offer?

A: We provide a range of mediation and conflict resolution services, including neighbourhood mediation, with issues such as noise, boundaries, parking and antisocial behaviour.

We provide SEND mediation – Education, Health and Care Plan (ECHP) assessments, content, provision and placement, along with workplace mediation, conflict management and mediation training, including accredited programmes. We offer facilitation and restorative approaches

All services are delivered by trained mediators with a focus on empathy, communication, and practical problem solving.

Q: How does mediation help in times of conflict?

A: Mediation provides a safe, structured, and impartial space for people to talk openly, understand each other’s perspectives, and work towards mutually acceptable solutions. It reduces tension, prevents escalation, and helps rebuild trust. Mediation is particularly effective because it focuses on the underlying needs and interests behind a dispute, not just the surface level issues.

Q: What are the main areas that people approach you about?

A: Neighbourhood mediation issues often include noise, hedges, fences, and boundaries, children’s behaviour, parking disputes and general neighbour tensions and communication breakdowns. In SEND mediation, families approach us about disagreements relating to EHCP assessments, EHCP content, provision and support and school or placement decisions

Q: Can issues such as noise become a major source of stress/anxiety and affect health?

Yes. Noise and neighbour conflict are well known causes of stress, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and reduced wellbeing. When people feel unable to resolve the issue themselves, the stress often increases. Mediation helps by restoring communication, reducing uncertainty, and giving people a sense of control over the situation.

Q: Do you hold face to face mediation sessions, and how effective is this?

A: Yes. We offer face to face, online, and shuttle mediation – where disputing parties remain in separate physical or virtual rooms. Face to face sessions are often highly effective because they allow for clearer communication, rapport building, and quicker de-escalation. Many people find that meeting in a neutral space helps them feel heard and understood.

Q: Can small disagreements escalate into major rifts? How do you prevent this?

A: Absolutely. Minor issues, noise, parking, and boundaries can escalate when communication breaks down or assumptions build up. Mediation intervenes early, helping people talk before resentment grows. We guide parties to focus on interests rather than accusations, which prevents escalation and encourages constructive problem solving.

Q: What advice do you give people to resolve disagreements?

A: Talk early, before frustration builds, focus on the issue, not the person and listen actively and acknowledge the other person’s concerns. We also advise people to suggest practical, realistic solutions and seek mediation if communication becomes difficult.

Q: Is it rewarding when conflicts are resolved after help from yourselves?

A: Yes, it is extremely rewarding to see people leave mediation feeling relieved, calmer, and more hopeful. Many people tell us that mediation helped them understand the situation differently and reduced their stress significantly.

Q: Do people thank you afterwards?

A: Yes, we regularly receive positive feedback. People often comment on the fairness of the process, the professionalism of our mediators, and the sense of relief they feel after reaching an agreement.

Q: Does it make you proud that Community Accord is something good that has come out of the 2001 riots, and that has lasted so long?”

A: Yes, it does make me proud. Community Accord was created directly in response to the 2001 Bradford riots, at a time when the city was facing significant tension and division. The organisation was founded to promote dialogue, understanding, and peaceful resolution, and more than twenty years later, it continues to deliver that mission.

 What began as a response to a difficult moment in Bradford’s history has grown into a long‑standing, respected service that supports communities, families, and organisations across the region and beyond. Knowing that something positive, constructive, and lasting emerged from those events is genuinely meaningful, and it’s something I’m proud to be part of.

*Community Accord is an independent not-for-profit organisation run by a team of trained mediators and operational staff. For more information visit communityaccord.com; email info@communityaccord.com; tel: 01274 223 313