MPs receive hundreds of emails everyday, so it’s very possible that your email’s been lost or buried in the inbox.
The best way to make sure your MP reads your email is to give their office a quick call. This will only take a couple of minutes (and you won’t have to get into transport policy with them, so don’t worry about that!). Just tell the office staff that you’re a constituent (they’re usually nice to constituents), and that you’re awaiting a response to an email you sent. Your MP’s office staff should then find your email, and nudge your MP to respond.
Will you call your MP's office today and ask them to make your email a priority?
+ Instructions/What will happen
Your call should only take a few minutes, and it is extremely unlikely you will actually speak to your MP. The purpose of this call is not to convince your MP (or their staff) to sign the letter in support of onshore wind. Instead, it is to remind them that you expect a response and encourage them to make it a priority.
- Introduce yourself (make sure to mention your'e a constituent)
- Explain that you’re waiting for a reply to your email, and explain that it is a matter of urgency as it refers to energy policy in the midst of an energy cost crisis.
- Ask the staff to flag the email with your MP
- Offer to resend the email to a different email address (i.e. the staff member you are talking to)
- Send follow-up email
+ Script (in case you want one)
Hello,
My name is XXX and I'm one of your constituents. I'm calling because I emailed my MP last week [or when you emailed] and have not received any reply.
I understand that you must get a lot of emails, but my email refers to government policies that are preventing us from making the most of cheap clean onshore wind power in the middle of an energy crisis. Supportive MPs are taking action now to support wind power, and I’d like my MP to do the same.
I would like my MP to sign an open letter calling for the removal of blocks on onshore wind power. All the details and instructions on how my MP can support this are in the email I sent.
Do you have the email in front of you, or shall I resend it? I understand that my MP is busy, but I would really appreciate an urgent reply, as I’m really concerned about the energy crisis and the climate crisis.
All done? Send a follow up email.
It is quite likely that the office staff will ask you to resend the original email. In this case, please ask them for the best email address to use. This will likely be their email address and not your MP’s. You can find a copy of a template email tailored to your MP by following through the stages of our web tool. Alternatively, you can use this standard email we’ve drafted.
If you have any questions, email Ali at alethea.warrington@wearepossible.org.