How to be heard beyond voting
The nutshell
Voting is not the only way to be heard in politics. Between elections, a person can also write to a local MP, sign or start a petition, or reply to a government consultation to share a view on what should happen.
Every fact on this page comes from UK Parliament, GOV.UK, and Parliament's own research team. Each source tag — like Parl — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
More than one way to be heard
Voting happens once every few years. Between elections, there are other ways to tell the people in power what should happen. Four of the most common are contacting a local MP, signing or starting a petition, replying to a government consultation, and joining a group that campaigns on an issue.
Contacting an MP
Each area of the UK, called a constituency, has one MP. A person living in that area can write to, email, or phone the local MP, or meet the MP at a face-to-face session called a surgery.Parl An MP normally helps only with problems from people who live in that MP's own constituency.Parl
Petitions
A petition is a request for a change, signed by many people. On the official UK Parliament petitions site, a petition that reaches 10,000 signatures gets a written response from the government. A petition that reaches 100,000 signatures is considered for a debate in Parliament.Parl Each petition stays open for six months.Parl
Consultations
Before a big decision, a government department often runs a consultation. A consultation asks the public for views on a plan before it becomes final. Open consultations are listed on GOV.UK, and anyone can send a reply.GOV
- A petition on the official UK Parliament site gets a written response from the government at 10,000 signatures, and is considered for debate at 100,000 (UK Parliament)
- A local MP can be contacted by letter, email, or phone, or met in person at a session called a surgery (UK Parliament)
- Government consultations on GOV.UK let the public give views on a policy before it is decided (GOV.UK)
- Only petitions started on the official petition.parliament.uk site get a government response, not copies posted elsewhere (UK Parliament)
- Reaching 100,000 signatures means a petition is considered for debate, not that a debate is certain (UK Parliament)
- By custom, an MP acts only for people who live in that MP's own constituency (UK Parliament)
The deep end6 min
The main ways to be heard between elections
Voting decides who holds power. Other actions try to shape what those in power do next. UK Parliament describes several routes open to the public, including contacting an MP and signing or starting a petition.Parl These routes do not replace voting, and each one works in a different way.
Contacting an MP
An MP represents one constituency in the House of Commons. UK Parliament states that a constituent can get in touch by letter, email, or telephone, or in person at a local surgery, and that writing gives a record that can be checked later.Parl By long-standing custom, an MP acts for people who live in that MP's own constituency, so contacting the correct local MP matters.
Petitions and the signature thresholds
The UK Parliament petitions site lets the public start or sign a petition online. It states that a petition passing 10,000 signatures receives a response from the government, and that a petition passing 100,000 signatures is considered for debate, though the Petitions Committee may decide not to hold one.Parl The House of Commons Library records that this system began in 2015 and is overseen by the Petitions Committee, a group of MPs from government and opposition parties.HoC GOV.UK gives the same 100,000 figure for a debate to be considered.GOV
Consultations and campaigning
A government consultation asks for views on a policy before it is set. GOV.UK lists open consultations and invites replies from the public.GOVBeyond these official routes, people also join political parties, campaign groups, or trade unions, and take part in peaceful protest. The topic on the right to protest covers that route in more detail.