close

A Church Near You contains up to date information about all the churches in the Diocese of Oxford.

To find out your nearest church or which parish you live in just search using your postcode.

Enter postcode or town

If you represent a parish you should register on A Church Near You to maintain your own church details.

Find a Church Near You
Parliamentary Lobbying Guide

Introduction

People are sometimes put off by the idea of lobbying. The very word ‘lobbying’ conjures up negative connotations for some. (Is it because the verb ‘to lob’ means either ‘to move heavily, clumsily or slowly’, or ‘an underhand movement’?!) In fact, lobbying simply means meeting in ‘a lobby’ – an open place where members or insiders can meet with non-members or outsiders.

Important decisions are taken in the Commons, the Lords and the European Parliament, by people who seek to act on our behalf and in our best interests. Lobbying, through meeting, letter writing, and petitioning, is a proper way of letting them know our views.

There are just a few simple rules:

  • Letters to MPs must be individually stamped (bulk mailings inside a single envelope will not be accepted). If you wish to deliver a letter by hand, this can be done only on days when Parliament is sitting, and a maximum of six unstamped letters may be handed in at any one time. The address is the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
  • You can also lobby your MP in person by requesting an appointment either in advance or by submitting a ‘green card’ after gaining access to the House of Commons. Information about access to the House of Commons can be obtained from the Public Information Office, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. Tel: 020 7219 4272. Many MPs run surgeries either at the House or in their constituency.
  • If you wish to contact a particular government minister, this can be done directly, but if you are hoping for a reply it is best to go via your MP.

Full lists of MPs and their interests, ministers and their responsibilities, senior civil servants and their departments, explanations of parliamentary procedure, and hints on lobbying, can be found in reference books available from your local library: Vachers Parliamentary Companion (the ‘little blue book’, updated quarterly); Civil Service Yearbook; BBC-Vachers Biographical Guide; Dod’s Parliamentary Companion; Erskine May’s Parliamentary Practice; and Alf Dubs, Lobbying: An Insider’s Guide to the Parliamentary Process (Pluto Press, 1989).

There may be a national church-based organisation that can help you lobby on a particular issue more effectively. Contact us for local contacts on particular issues.

For further information see the website www.parliament.uk