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What your MP can do for you
What your MP can do for you
This section is designed to answer any questions you may have about my role as your local Member of Parliament and how I can help you.
What is an MP?
The House of Commons is made up of 650 Members of Parliament (MPs), each representing one constituency. My role is to represent the people of the Spen Valley constituency in Westminster.
What can my MP do to help me?
As an MP, I can try to help you with all matters for which Parliament or central government is responsible, such as:
- HM Revenue and Customs Department – tax or national insurance problems.
- Department for Work and Pensions – benefits and pension problems.
- Home Office – problems with immigration and passports.
- Department of Health – problems with hospitals and the National Health Service (NHS).
Strict Parliamentary protocol means that Members of Parliament can only deal with issues raised by their own constituents. I can therefore only help you if you are a resident of Spen Valley. If you are not a resident, you should contact your own MP.
What an MP cannot do
An MP cannot intervene with legal matters or court cases, nor interfere with decisions previously made in court. They also cannot provide any financial or business advice.
An MP is not able to assist in settling family arguments or private disputes with neighbours, employers or consumer matters.
If your problem concerns the Local Government (Council), you should have exhausted the internal complaints procedure at the Council before you contact me.
Kirklees Council manage services including: highways, schools, social services, planning and building control, refuse collection, benefits, council tax collection, parking, housing, leisure, libraries and heritage.
As an MP, I have no jurisdiction over planning applications or parking concerns. However, if you have exhausted the authority’s complaints procedure, I may write to them on your behalf, to highlight the concerns you have.
If you are unsure of who to go to or you have a problem of a more general nature then your nearest Citizen’s Advice Bureau will be able to guide you.
How does my MP deal with my problem?
I can help to deal with your problem by:
- Writing a letter to the relevant department or official.
- Writing a letter to the Minister involved.
Many problems (but not all) can be solved in this way.
The department or Minister may not be able to give the answer you want to hear. Please be aware that if the decision has been made in the correct way, there may be little that I can do further.
Ombudsman
If you feel there has been unnecessary delay or maladministration you may refer your case to the Ombudsman. You can take your case to all Ombudsman yourself, except for the Parliamentary Ombudsman, who can only be approached by an MP.
If you wish for me to refer your case to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, you must send me the completed Ombudsman forms. I will look at your case before referring it to the Ombudsman, however an MP may decide not to pass on your complaint, if deemed unnecessary.