- Councillors FAQ
- MPs FAQ
- London Assembly Members FAQ
- London Mayor FAQ
- Members of Scottish Parliament FAQ
- Welsh Assembly Members FAQ
- Elected Mayor FAQ
- MEPs FAQ
Councillors FAQ
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- What are my councillors’ responsibilities?
- How do my councillors represent me?
- How do I contact my councillors?
What are my councillors’ responsibilities?
Your councillors’ main responsibilities are:
- representing all the people living in their ward
- making decisions affecting both the ward and the council area
- developing future policies for the council
How do my councillors represent me?
Your councillors must represent all local users regardless of any party political membership.
They should represent you:
- at council meetings
- by campaigning on local issues
- by helping locals through surgeries and personal & written contact.
How do I contact my councillors?
Your councillors can be contacted directly through the council. Council contact details
MPs FAQ
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- What is the best way of contacting my MP?
- What can my MP help me with?
- What are my MP’s responsibilities?
- Can I contact an MP from another constituency?
What is the best way of contacting my MP?
You should write to your MP at the House of Commons.
All MPs have a Westminster office who’ll redirect or deal with your mail. A letter will also enable you to give your MP all the facts clearly and precisely.
What can my MP help me with?
MPs are only there to help you with issues for which central government is responsible.
These include
- Tax problems involving the Inland Revenue (not council tax)
- Issues with hospitals and the NHS
- Problems dealt with by the Department for Work and Pensions such as benefits and pensions
- Immigration and other Home Office issues
- Closure of schools or school grants (not the day to day running of a school)
What are my MP’s responsibilities?
Your MP should do all he or she can to help and represent constituents. However at times a constituent’s needs may conflict with the MP’s party policies and your MP will need to decide where their loyalties lie.
Can I contact an MP from another constituency?
No. MPs will only deal with issues and problems raised by their own constituents and not another MP’s.
London Assembly Members FAQ
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What does the London Assembly do?
The London Assembly is elected at the same time as the Mayor. Its role is to scrutinise the Mayor's activities and question his decisions. The Assembly is also able to investigate other issues of importance to Londoners, publish its findings and recommendations, and make proposals to the Mayor.
How are Members elected?
The Assembly Members are elected under the Additional Member System. Voters can cast two votes, one for their local constituency member and one for a political party or independent candidate. There are 14 constituency Assembly Members and 11 Londonwide Members. The voting is designed to produce a distribution of seats that will always be proportional to the total votes cast across London.
London Mayor FAQ
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- What can the Mayor do?
- Who votes for the Mayor?
- What services does the Mayor have financial control over?
- How do I contact the Mayor?
What can the Mayor do?
The Mayor has a range of specific powers and duties, and a general power to do anything that will promote the development and improvement of London. The Mayor must consult with Londoners, and in all cases, the Mayor must promote equal opportunity.
Who votes for the Mayor?
All Londoners on the electoral register are eligible to vote for the Mayor. The London Mayor is elected every four years and the next election is due in 2008.
What services does the Mayor have financial control over?
The Mayor sets the annual budget for the:
- Greater London Authority (GLA)
- Metropolitan Police,
- Transport for London
- London Development Agency
- London Fire Brigade
How do I contact the Mayor?
The best way to contact the Mayor is through City Hall. Click here for details.
Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs) FAQ
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between my MSP and my MP?
MSPs represent their constituents on matters which are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, such as education, health and the environment. Your MP represents you on reserved matters which include defence, foreign affairs and employment in the House of Commons.
How are MSPs elected?
The voting system used is known as the Additional Member System. This is a type of proportional representation. This means that the share of seats each party receives reflects its level of support among voters.
Each voter has two votes. With the first vote, voters choose between candidates standing in their constituency. The winning candidate has the largest number of votes.The second vote is for a political party, or for an independent candidate, within a larger electoral area called a Scottish Parliament Region. There are eight Scottish Parliament Regions and each has seven MSPs. Within each region, parties are allocated additional seats dependent upon the number of constituency seats it won.
In total there are 129 MSPs. 73 represent parliamentary constituencies with a further 56 regional MSPs as outlined above. Scottish residents have one constituency and seven regional MSPs.
Welsh Assembly Members (AMs) FAQ
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between my AM and my MP?
MSPs represent their constituents on matters which are devolved to the Assembly, such as education, health and the environment. Your MP represents their constituents on reserved matters which include defence, foreign affairs and employment in the House of Commons
How are AMs elected?
The voting system used is known as the Additional Member System. This is a type of proportional representation. This means that the share of seats each party receives reflects its level of support among voters.
Each voter has two votes. With the first vote, voters choose between candidates standing in their constituency. The winning candidate has the largest number of votes.The second vote is for a political party, or for an independent candidate, within a larger electoral area. There are 5 Welsh Assembly Regions and each region has 4 additional AMs.
In total there are 60 AMs. 40 represent local constituencies with a further 20 regional AMs. Each Welsh resident has one constituency and four regional AMs.
Elected Mayor FAQ
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is an elected Mayor’s role?
The Mayor is the leader of the council and is expected to give political direction and vision to the council. Decisions are often guided by other council members.
How often can I elect a Mayor?
Elections for your Mayor will be held every four years and the elected Mayor is decided on the candidate with the largest number of votes.
MEPs FAQ
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How are my MEPs elected?
Instead of voting for a candidate from their chosen party, electors vote for a party list for their region, with a single vote. Alongside the name of each party will be a list of the candidates they're putting up for election. The numbers of MEP seats each party wins in a region is roughly equal to their share of the vote
What happens if an MEP from my region resigns or dies?
The vacant seat would go to the next eligible person from the party list of the elected MEP. If the MEP was an independent candidate or if there was no-one left on the party list, there would need to be a by-election.
If you’ve any comments or require further information on your representatives, please contact us
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