Write to your MP

Members of Parliament have no direct influence on local planning issues. During the campaign against the planning application we did not ask people to contact their MPs because it is not their responsibility and local councillors and council staff were the appropriate contacts at that stage.

HorfieldROSE did liaise with the Bristol West and Bristol North West MPs, both of whom pointed out that their role is to represent constituents’ interests on national issues.

However, Stephen Williams was surprised to see that that planning application had changed significantly since they were presented to him by the club a year earlier. He did the only things he could which were to write to the planning department stating the concerns that we had expressed to him and with which he agreed. He went beyond this and issued a press release expressing his continued support for improvements to the stadium but detailing those issues which he saw made the current plans unacceptable.

This press release was presented unfavourably by the Bristol press and Stephen Williams received a large amount of abusive correspondence from members of the public who disagreed with his stance. It would have been very easy for him to remain silent on this issue and avoid any controversy.

We encourage you to write to your MP’s especially in connection to national policies on pollution, traffic, quality of life, planning loaw and so in connection with the Memorial Stadium redevelopment.

Stephen Williams (Liberal Democrat) Bristol West

PO Box 2500
Bristol BS6 9AH

Tel: 0117 942 3494
Fax: 0117-9426925

House of Commons
Tel: 020 7219 8416
williamssr@parliament.uk

Dr Doug Naysmith (Labour) Bristol North West

Unit 6
Greenway Business Centre
Doncaster Road
Southmead, Bristol
BS10 5PY

Fax 0117 950 5302
Telephone 0117 950 2385
naysmithd@parliament.uk