Every person in the UK has an elected local representative. If you live in:
They all have the responsibility of making political decisions on your behalf about a wide range of issues – including those relating to mental health.
Because they are representing you, it’s very important that your local representative know what you think about mental health and what you want them to do to make improvements to the way the government looks after it.
You can contact your local representative for many reasons, including:
- To raise their awareness of mental health.
- To ask for their support in solving a problem relating to mental health within public services such as the NHS.
- To ask them to campaign on an issue relating to mental health.
After you've contacted your MP may respond to your letter by:
Raising your concerns with Government ministers
Talk debating the issues parliament
Asking offical parliamentary questions
Voting for or against new policies.
Contacting your local representative is easy, and the advice below should make it simple and effective.
1) Find them
Because health is a devolved issue, the position of your local representative depends on where you live in the UK. You can find the name and contact detail of your local representative on these websites, and on Write To Them, They Work For You, or The Public Whip. You should only ever write to your own MP, MSP, AM, or MLA – if you write to anybody who doesn’t represent you your letter with either be passed on to your own representative or ignored.
2) Research them
Before contacting your MP, MSP, AM, or MLA, it can be useful to find out something about them. Most local representatives have personal websites that will tell you something about them and what they are interested in, and They Work For You and The Public Whip allow you to find out how your representative has voted in the past and what they have said on an issue.
3) Contact them
The most effective way to contact your local representative is by letter, although you can also email them. If you choose to email them, Write To Them allows you to do so quickly and easily from the website.
Your MP, MSP, AM, or MLA will probably receive a large number of letters and emails every day, so try to keep your letter as concise as possible (ideally it shouldn’t be longer than one side of A4 paper). Always include your address, email address, and telephone number in your letter or email so they can contact you.
As a general rule your letter or email should always explain why you are writing to them, a description of the issue you are writing about, and what you want them to do about it. Although there are no rules about how to write to your local representative, you may find the tips listed below useful.
- Write as if you expect a positive response to you letter or email. Your local representative is accountable to you, and so you should expect them to help you. You should identify yourself as a constituent of the person you are writing to in your letter, to ensure that they know they are representing you.
- Be polite to improve the chances of your local representative taking your letter or email seriously and replying to you promptly. Although you may be passionate about what you are writing about, try to keep the letter or email cool.
- Introduce your points clearly in the first paragraph so your local representative knows immediately what you letter or email is about, and be as specific and factual as possible so your local representative can help you effectively.
- Write about your own personal experiences if you think they support your letter. They may help your letter stand out and encourage your local representative to reply to you promptly.
- Make it clear exactly what you are asking your representative to do so they can act promptly and effectively.
- Conclude the letter or email on a positive note, asking for your local representative’s support on the issue you are writing about and asking to hear their opinions. Maintain contact with your local representative if the issue you are writing to them about is ongoing to keep them in touch with the situation.
If your letter or email clearly asked for a reply and you have not received one, or if you think your reply is unsatisfactory, you may write to your representative again.
If you need any more advice on writing to your local representative, or receive a reply for your representative you think we may be interested in, please email us at policy@mhf.org.uk
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