4. Contact your MP

All - Inform Others - Organise - Contact Councillors - Contact MP - Inform Groups
Write Letter - Gather Petition - Organise Protest - Contact Media - Present Case

If a proposed development is big enough, or controversial enough, or clearly important to a sufficient number of local people, then the chances are that your local Member of Parliament [MP] will want to know what's going on, and may be prepared to intervene in a similar way to your Councillors. He or she may have cut their political teeth with your local authority, and will certainly know some of the key political figures, and officers. They may be able to guide and support what you do, again by turning up to events, contacting politicians and officers, writing letters ... but, in addition, they will have routes in to national government that local Councillors do not. If your MP writes a letter to a Minister, they will get a speedy reply ... where-as you may not!

Your MP will also, simply by aligning themselves to your opinion, get coverage in local media that will, in itself, garner more support. But again, be warned, your MP may not feel as strongly as you do about the issue, and may only do what is necessary to ingratiate themselves [with electors]. They may belong to the same political party as the Council's majority group, and broadly agree with their development policies, or not wish to offend the very people - Councillors - who attend meetings, distribute political literature, and campaign on their behalf at elections! They may be a member of the national ruling party, and broadly agree with national planning/development policies. They are certainly not the be-all and end-all, but they are very powerful, and can be very useful ... for what you wish to achieve.

© 2006 / The Planning Resource Founding Trust