Finding your MP
You can find your local MP using your postcode. You can also find voting records and contributions from MPs.
For college in Wales, you can find your local Member of the Senedd (MS) using your postcode. You can also find their contributions to the Senedd.
Why is it useful to have a relationship with your MP or MS?
- They can advocate and influence policy at both the local and national level.
- They can influence large scale policy changes that will directly impact your college. You can demonstrate to your MP how current national policy affects your college and learners locally and how national policy change could solve local issues.
- They can raise specific issues and topics affecting your college in Parliament, shining a light on local issues on a national stage. They can also highlight the fantastic work your college – and other specialist colleges – do.
- They can be great advocates for colleges and are able to provide credibility and legitimacy to your college’s cause or work.
- They want to hear from you. SEND/education are massively important to MPs on both the local and national level. SEND issues, raised by families, make up a considerable proportion of their constituency caseload. You are the experts in the field. They want to understand more and get greater insight from the professionals’ perspective.
- Establishing a relationship with an MP or MS can lead to ongoing support and collaboration. MPs can act as advocates for the provider, helping to secure long-term partnerships with other local institutions. They can also become champions for the wider specialist FE sector.
Securing a visit
Inviting your MP or MS to visit can be a good way to start building a relationship. It can be helpful to link the invitation to a college event or local milestone, but it is also useful to relate the invitation to their particular interests and constituency priorities. When they visit for the first time, they will be interested in learning more about what you do and the types of learners you work with. They won’t always have much expertise in education or SEND policy, so stick to key issues, giving examples and using student input to highlight the message.
Writing to your MP and securing a visit
You can contact your MP either through email or a written letter. All MPs have an email address in the following format, which you can use to get in touch: [firstname].[lastname].mp@parliament.uk
You can also find their email address in the MP directory.
For MSs, there emails typically follow the format of: [firstname].[lastname]@seneedd.wales
You can find their email address in the MS directory
Email procedure
When emailing a representative, your email must include:
- Your full name
- Address
- Contact telephone number
You will receive an automated response, acknowledging receipt of the email. If you have not included the above information, they will ask you to resend the email with it included.
Before you write your letter, it’s useful to have a look at the MP’s or MSs website or their voting record to get an understanding of their area of interest (or contact policy@natspec.org.uk to check whether we have any useful information on the MP). You may be able to reference a particular issue or a specific occasion where they have already shown an interest in SEND or FE.
Addressing an MP, MS or Peer
House of Commons and the Senedd
When contacting an MP, start by checking their correct title, which can be found on the official Parliament website. All MPs will have the letters “MP” after their names when writing.
Similarly, when contacting an MS, add the letters “MS” after their names.
House of Lords
If you wish to contact a member of the House of Lords, start by checking their title.
The correct form of address depends on their specific title, with most having the title of “Lord” or “Baroness”. If they have a more formal or higher title, such as “Duke” or “Viscount”, you would use their full title. More detail of titles for Lords can be found on the Parliament website.
Some peers will hold a “territorial peerage”, meaning their title would be “Lord [title] of [place]”. In this case, you should still address them only by their title (e.g. “Dear Lord [title]”) – you do not need to include the place.
Should I contact my local MP or MS?
In Wales, decisions on SEND policy are made by both the Senedd and Parliament.
- Your MS deals with devolved matters such as education policy, local transport, and health and social care.
- Your MP deals with UK-wide matters such as welfare benefits, immigration, and taxation.
Some issues may involve both, so it’s fine to contact either. If it’s not something they can directly help with, they should point you in the right direction or work with the relevant representative.
Visit invite letter to MPs
You can use our template letter to invite your MP(s) to visit your college and meet with students and staff. The letter will need to be personalised with your college’s details.
Download the template invite letter