Members of Parliament are elected to the House of Commons to represent the interests and concerns of all the people who live in their constituency, whether they voted for them at the General Election or not. They are only able to deal with issues raised by people who live in their constituency, called constituents.
To check if you are one of my constituents, please enter your postcode on the Parliament website.
MPs consider and vote on legislation and use their position to ask government ministers questions about current issues.
We split our time between working in Parliament and working in the constituency. In Parliament, I spend my time fighting for the interests of all my constituents, attending debates, scrutinising and voting on legislation, and attending meetings. I hold advice surgeries for my constituents (where they can come and talk to me about any local issues and problems), attend meetings and community events, as well as visiting local organisations and businesses across the constituency.
When a constituent writes to me, I will write to the relevant department or official or the Minister involved. Many problems are solved in this way and I always aim to respond within 10 working days although sometimes more complex cases may take slightly longer.
Alternatively, if a constituent is happy for the issue to be made public, I can ask an oral or written question, secure a debate or even petition Parliament itself.
Oral or Written Questions
Once a month each minister from each government department answer questions from MPs at the Despatch Box in the Chamber of the House. There is a limit to the number of questions that can be asked but I can also table a written question to the relevant government department, which are published in Hansard.
Adjournment Debates
MPs may be able to raise a constituent’s issue in a half-hour Adjournment Debate. To get an Adjournment Debate, MPs must be successful in a ballot of Members of Parliament or have the subject chosen by the Speaker. The debates are usually the last business of the day and a government minister responds at the end of the debate.
Petition
Members of Parliament can present a petition to Parliament on behalf of their constituents. The format and wording of the petition need to be in a particular way. For more information or guidance, please contact:
Clerk of Public Petitions
Journal Office
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/sign-a-petition/paper-petitions
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 Ombudsmen 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.
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.
An MP does not have any jurisdiction over local Council decisions. I can write to on your behalf to the council and ask them to look into a problem or to reconsider an issue. In the first instance though, constituents should contact their local council or councillor directly. If your problem concerns the Local Government (Council), you should have exhausted the internal complaints procedure at the Council before you contact your MP.
Local Government manage services including: highways, schools, social services, libraries and heritage, planning and building control, refuse collection, council tax collection, parking, housing and leisure.
As an MP, Shivani has no jurisdiction over planning applications or parking concerns. However, if you have exhausted the authority’s complaints procedure, Shivani may write to the 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 Citizens' Advice Bureau will be able to guide you.
If you are unsure as to whether Shivani can help, please do telephone the office on 0116 366 8535 for advice.