Write to your elected representative
Local Councillors, Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) represent specific regions and all of the people who live there, regardless of whether or not they voted for them. This means that your Councillors, MSPs and MPs represent you and should respond to your communications as well as actively take account of the public’s concerns when they are making decisions.
In the face of red tape and obscure bureaucracy, it is easy to feel powerless when it comes to reaching out to your Councillor, MSP, or MP. But it is important not to underestimate the difference that a simple email or letter from you can make, as most Parliamentarians do take their duty to listen to their constituents seriously.
Letters and emails assume even more importance where they form part of a larger, collective campaign. When lots of people raise issues with their representatives, the issue is likely to be paid greater attention.
What can your msp or mp do?
Some MSPs and MPs have more influence than others, but all of them have a say on important decisions. Some MSPs or MPs are also Government Ministers, who form part of the Governments in Holyrood or Westminster and so are responsible for governing particular policy areas, with power to change policy or take particular actions. MSPs and MPs also sit on Committees that challenge Government policy.
Even if they are not a government minister, any MSP or MP can table questions in their respective parliaments. These questions are then passed on to the relevant Government department. Your MSP or MP does not have to agree with your question in order to put it forward to the relevant department. However, it is unlikely that they will pass your question on if it is combative or disdainful. Therefore, how you frame your concern/question is extremely important.
Another important thing to note is that your MSP or MP will prioritise issues that directly affect substantial numbers of their constituents. This means that the more people in your area who contact an MSP or MP on a particular issue, the more likely it is that they will act upon it.
Find out what level of government is responsible for the issue you are interested in
Councillors deal primarily with local issues such as rubbish collection, transport, roads, local environment and planning. MSPs are responsible for devolved issues, for example health, environment, agriculture, criminal justice and some aspects of transport (e.g. ports and road networks). Finally, MPs reserved matters such as defence and international relations.
For more information as to which level of government is responsible for particular issues, please find a summary here.
Find out who your representative is
You should only write to the people who represent your local area. Politicians will not respond if they are not your representative.
If you are resident in Scotland, you are represented by both one local constituency MSP and seven regional MSPs. You should contact only one MSP if you have a matter within your constituency that you wish to be dealt with. However, if you want to ask your representatives to vote a certain way on a particular bill or parliamentary vote, you can contact all of your MSPs.
If you are not sure who your local MSP, MP or Councillors are, or are not sure about how to contact them, the following resources are helpful:
They Work For You - a website which tells you who your MP is and gives you some information on your MP’s voting record in the Parliament.
Write to Them - this website will let you know who your local Councillors, MSPs and MPs are. You can also use the website to email your representatives directly.
Craft your letter / email
It is essential to remember that writing to your politicians won’t necessarily change their mind, or result in an immediate solution to your concern. However, it is crucial that you let them know what is important to you and why.
When writing your letter remember to:
Introduce yourself - start your letter by telling them who you are and don’t forget to mention that you are a constituent!
Make it personal - why are you contacting them? why is this issue important to you?
Include the human dimension - help them relate to the issue and understand how other constituents are likely to be impacted by it, whether directly or indirectly.
Don’t always use auto-generated templates - Generic templates are sometimes useful to demonstrate a strong groundswell of support for an issue but where possible, you should keep your communications personal.
Keep it brief - politicians are busy people, so brevity can be key.
Back-up your argument - reference statistics or published reports from reliable sources.
Give them something specific to respond to, for example:
Fix this pothole!
Vote for this amendment!
Or, ask a question like:
“What are your thoughts on X policy?”
“Why don’t you support Y policy?”