How to lobby your MP or AM

Meet your MP or AM – make a difference for families

Families with disabled children are under massive strain because vital services aren't available locally. Keep Us Close is Scope's campaign to change this. We believe in supporting families and making sure they have the services they need in their local area.

The Government is writing a Children and Families Bill, which has started to be discussed in Parliament. Right now this is our chance to get good local services for disabled children and provide the essential support that families need.

In Wales, the Welsh Government is writing a bill to reform special educational needs. This Bill isn't expected for at least a year, but this gives us an opportunity to get the Government to put local services for disabled children in their Bill.

To do this, we need to get the support of politicians. Your MP (Member of Parliament) or AM (Assembly Member) is your local representative in Parliament or the Senedd, if they hear from you they are much more likely to support the campaign. Something quick and easy you can do is to email them but you have a much better chance of persuading them by meeting them face-to-face and telling them why this issue is of personal importance to you.

This guide focuses on MPs, but meeting your Welsh Assembly Member is just as easy, but with a few differences explained at the bottom of this page.

Here is all the information you need below or download this page as a PDF (208KB).

Preparing to meet your MP

This information will help you to get a meeting with your MP and planning what to say. You might be scared by the idea - don’t worry! It’s actually pretty easy. Thousands of people around Britain meet their MP every week.

Keep in touch with Scope

Let us know if you are going to meet your MP to discuss a Scope campaign. That helps us have a good picture of which MPs have heard about our campaign and we speak to MPs regularly so we can help push home the message after you meet with them. Or if you just need some extra advice on what to say to your MP, we’re here to help. 

Who is your MP?

If you don’t know your MP’s name, find out at http://findyourmp.parliament.uk or call Parliament’s public information office on 020 7219 4272 and they can tell you.

How to arrange a meeting with your MP

Write to your MP (either by letter or email) explaining that you would like to arrange a meeting. Tell them it’s to discuss getting better local services for disabled children, and add anything about the issue that’s important to you. You can use the material on our website to help you. This will help your MP to come to the meeting prepared.

You should receive a response within a couple of weeks. At this point, telephone your MP’s local constituency office to find a suitable time to meet. You can usually find their phone number by searching for your MP’s name on the internet, as most MPs have a website. (If you can’t find their local number, you can call their diary secretary at the Westminster office: phone the House of Commons switchboard on 020 7219 3000 and ask to be put through to the MP’s office.)

Most MPs hold regular ‘constituency surgeries’ (usually on a Monday, Friday or Saturday). Although MPs spend most of their time in Westminster, it may be easier and more relaxed in the constituency office (local to where you live). It can be better to book your slot in advance so that they can dedicate time to you in their diaries, but not all MPs offer specific appointments.

Do you or anyone coming to the meeting (for example, your child) have any access requirements? Make sure you mention these in advance.

Be prepared

You might want to write a few notes in advance to help you remember what you want to say. By all means take these with you when you meet your MP if you feel it will help you.

Leave some extra information for your MP at the end of the meeting. 

What to say when you meet your MP

You may only have 10-15 minutes with them, the time will go fast. It’s best to think through in advance what are the two or three key points you really want to make when you speak to them. This could be a good structure to follow:

1. Start by telling them what you want to discuss with them.
2. Tell them why this issue matters to you – include any personal experience you have or tell them why this issue is important to you personally. 
3. Make sure you ask them what you would like them to do – for the Keep us Close campaign, we want a ‘Provide Local’ Principle in the Children and Families Bill to guarantee better local services for disabled children and their families. 

What to do when you meet your MP

• Start by thanking the MP for making the appointment.
• Arrive on time, be polite and courteous but also confident. This meeting is an opportunity for you to have a two-way discussion – assume that the MP is there to help you, unless they prove otherwise.
• Remember they’re human too with their own family so can relate to some of what you’re telling them.
• Remember the two or three key points you want to make (see above) – this is your chance to say what’s important to you. Make sure you ask them what you would like them to do after the meeting.
• If they have questions that you can’t answer, don’t worry – make a note of their question, call 020 7619 7370 and we can help you send an answer to your MP.
• At the end, leave some extra printed information for them.
• Ask them to keep in touch with you and let you know what happens.

What to do afterwards

• Follow up your visit with an email or letter to say thanks and give them the link to www.scope.org.uk/keepusclose for more information on the campaign.
• If the MP promises to write on your behalf to a Minister or someone else, if you haven’t heard back within a month, then email or phone their office again.
• This meeting should be the start of a longer relationship with your MP. Follow up on any responses you receive and do ask questions on specifics you may not understand. They will appreciate you doing so, and in the longer term the better the relationship you have with your MP, the more he or she is able to do for you.

Wales - Meeting your AM

In Wales, policies such as education, social services and health are controlled by the Welsh Government so If you live in Wales, then you will need to meet with your local AMs rather than your MP. You can find more information on what the Welsh Government is responsible for on the Welsh Government website.

Meeting your AM is just like meeting your MP, so you should follow the rest of this guide. However, while you only have one local MP, you have five local AMs – one constituency and four regional. They are likely to be of several different parties but each have the same role: to represent you. The more of your local AMs you meet with, the more impact you are likely to have.

You can find a list of your AMs on the National Assembly for Wales website.

Back to the main Keep Us Close page.