With a new settling in and many of us welcoming new MPs, we are now in a crucial time to influence how the government can support CLTs to contribute to the Welsh affordable housing targets, building community wealth and sustainability goals.
Our government has recognised that we need all hands on deck to diversify how we are responding to the housing crisis, how we build community wealth and how we make a just transition to net zeros. Collectively, the 360+ CLTs in England and Wales can be a major contributor. But we need the funding, policy reform and capacity to make real progress – without being held back by hurdles in a system not designed for CLTs.
This is where our lobbying campaign comes in: we are asking you to write to your MP using our briefing note and letter templates (see below) to ask for the support that CLTs need to deliver more in their communities and nationally.
So get lobbying today!
So, how can you write to your MP?
- Find your MP’s contact information here
- CC [email protected] or email us on [email protected] to let us know who you have contacted.
- Attach this briefing note for your MP AND this template letter that your MP can use to contact the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Housing AND this template letter that your MP can use to contact the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
- Copy and paste our letter template text into a Google Doc, Word document or directly into your email.
- Amend the template below so that you can express why their support matters for your community. You can find some messaging guidance for what might resonate with your local MP here. Our 10 point manifesto may provide some further inspiration.
- Contact us on [email protected] if your MP responds or forwards your message on to key decision makers
- Celebrate that you have taken action for CLTs by sharing our “I’ve lobbied” image on social media (download here) and make sure you tag your MP
Why does lobbying matter?
Hear from our CEO, Tom Chance about why we’re calling for you to lobby your MP for CLT positive policies and funding:
To reach critical mass, we need all CLTs, Community Led Housing Hubs and allies of the CLT movement to collectively write to our MPs asking for key reforms. In this way, we will show the real weight and impact behind the CLT movement.
The CLT Network team lobbies ministers and officials at a national level, and builds support among national influencers. But you open the doors for us by mobilising your MPs, showing ministers that there is strong backbench support for our proposals. Most correspondence to ministers is handled by officials. But if your MP writes to the minister, that will land on his desk for him to review personally. We have been told repeatedly what an impression these letters have made on ministers.
We can’t do this without you. The more CLTs get stuck in, the better the platform we have with the government.
Another important thread to this lobbying campaign is that since our recent general election, many of us are also welcoming new MPs who may not be aware of CLTs locally or as an impactful national movement. This means that this is now a great opportunity for us to introduce our new local leaders to community led housing.
What are we asking for?
We are calling for key proposals that would bring about planning and land reforms, crucial funding for CLTs, and regulatory reforms. These would all smooth the journey for CLTs as they deliver new projects so that CLTs can do more for communities across England and Wales. Read more about these in our briefing here.
Our manifesto proposes 10 key policy updates that would give CLTs the funding and practical support to develop projects.
If they were implemented these policy proposals could see CLTs delivering up to 15,000 affordable homes a year in the UK and generating up to £1 billion in community wealth. Benefits such as establishing a land commission and diversifying funding opportunities would support CLTs that are stewarding land for nature and sustainable agriculture.
How can we do it? Letter writing
Letter writing (by email or post) is an effective tactic for us. You write to your local MP(s), on behalf of your CLT, asking them to lobby ministers on your behalf. If you have projects across more than one constituency, lobby them all. You have an influence on your MP as a constituent, and a local organisation with some profile. Most MPs would love to associate themselves with what you do.
While many MPs will respond to locally relevant correspondence from anyone, some MPs will only deal with correspondence from constituents. If you live in their constituency, be sure to include your address at the end of your email/letter. If you don’t, make clear that you have a project in their constituency, giving its address.
The MPs’ offices will update you if they pick it up, and if they get a reply. If you can keep us informed, we can track which MPs are being engaged and what the Government is telling them.
We provide you with a template letter to customise and send to your MP(s). We also provide a briefing for your MP, and a template letter they can use when writing to the government.
When customising your letter, bear in mind that you need to ‘tick boxes’ both for the government and your MP. You may know something about your local MP to add some local flavour. Here are some boxes CLTs can tick, based on our understanding of general national priorities:
Messaging you could use
- Additional housing supply, especially social housing
- Rural social housing supply in particular
- Public support for house building, especially in sensitive contexts
- Raising quality – design, environmental standards
- Doubling the size of the co-operative economy (Labour manifesto pledge)
So in describing your CLT and projects, think about how you can emphasise those points. If you’ve built, or are planning, new social/affordable rent homes, include that. Mention if you had lots of supportive comments on a planning application; if you’re developing in an AONB or a tricky infill site; if you’re building to Passivhaus standards.
If you previously received CHF grants from you council, our Community Led Homes partnership or Homes England, please mention this!
More ways to build a relationship with your MP
Our CLT Local Advocacy Handbook goes into much more detail about how you can be an effective local advocate for your CLT, and CLTs generally. But you might want to consider these other tactics to engage your MP:
- Invite them to visit a site or project, to discuss your successes and challenges.
- Always invite them to any opening or launch of a completed project, offering them an opportunity to speak.
- Stage a fun and friendly event, or demonstration, at a meaningful location like a site you are seeking or outside the council offices, and invite them along.
- Do your own research on local issues, or attitudes towards e.g. house building, and share it with your MP – be helpful.