As the general election is now over and we have a new Government in place, we've asked our External Affairs Manager, Yoric, to give us an update on what this means for you and how your local MP can help you.
So, the general election is over for another five years…hopefully!
As you will no doubt know, we have a new Labour government with a large majority in the House of Commons, which means they should have few problems passing the laws they want to. These laws were set out in the King’s Speech on Wednesday 17th July.
In terms of housing, the new Government wants to make changes to planning laws to make it easier to build new homes on abandoned land, often called ‘brownfield’ sites. They also plan to build lots more affordable homes in our region and across the country.
What it means for your MP
The first thing to say is that a lot of Members of Parliament (MPs) stood down at this election and a lot of new MPs were elected, so there are a lot of new faces. There were also changes to constituency boundaries which means you might not be in the same constituency as you were at the last election in 2019, so it’s worth checking who your MP is before contacting them.
You can check who your MP is on the Parliament website here.
How your MP can help
Members of Parliament are an important way that you can influence what happens locally and nationally. They’re there to represent you in Parliament and make sure your views are taken into account when new laws are passed, or existing laws are changed.
Secondly, MPs can represent you when you don’t think local problems are being dealt with properly, or quickly enough. However, they will rarely be your first port of call. There are organisations and agencies, for example the local authority, your landlord or other service providers, that have a responsibility to deal with problems or complaints. If you go to your MP and you haven’t already been to the relevant organisation, they’ll redirect you back to them in the first instance.
However, if you’ve already spoken to them and are still not happy, your MP can be a useful channel to raise your concerns. MPs have power and influence that they can use to resolve problems – and this can be useful. For example, we have regular contact with local MPs and do our best to work with them to resolve issues in our neighbourhoods.
Contacting your MP
You can contact your MP in a few different ways:
- You can write to them, either by email or letter. If you check who your MP is using the Parliament website, it will usually direct you to a webpage with their name and contact details on
- MPs hold regular constituency surgeries, usually on a Friday, where you can go and meet with them to discuss your issue. Although, you will usually need to contact their office to book a meeting, as there are often many people wanting to see them. Some MPs may also hold constituency meetings on specific subjects where you can go and speak with them
- Many MPs are active on social media, mainly Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), and you can contact them using these channels. You might not always get to speak to your MP personally using these channels, but they will have a team of staff who can help you.
We’re committed to working with all our MPs, particularly those who represent our tenants, to resolve problems and campaign for the changes that you tell us you want to see.
If there's anything you want us to look into, you can get in touch with us on Facebook or X, or by phoning 0345 60 20 540.
