how democratic are local labour parties?

Answer 1

Do they ask their members to vote on what to do with party funds? No.

They are not Democratic, they are Socialist. Socialists use the word 'democratic' as camouflage.

The objective of Socialists is, through established psychological principles, organise various groups into 'herds' that can then be relied upon to help get Socialist politicians into government where they can then exert ever increasing control from the top. That is not Democratic at all.

To understand their machinations, read George Orwell's "1984". He rose high in the Socialist System before he saw it for what it is and decided to write about it. It is all about establishing absolute control over the minds of the populace.