Forum Brief: MPs and email

A new report has warned that too many MPs are letting the advent of e-communication pass them by.

Bournemouth Media School lecturer, Nigel Jackson, found that the majority of email traffic to MPs was incoming and that many members have yet to gauge the campaigning benefits of sending regular electronic updates to constituents.The prevalence of electronic junk mail, or "spam", has been cited by many MPs as a reason why they ignore their email.

Forum Response: Counsel and Care

Martin Green, chief executive of Counsel and Care, told ePolitix.com: "Instead of not checking their emails regularly, MPs should be addressing the issue of reducing spam.

"The internet is a very useful way for elderly people, who may not be that mobile, to get in touch with their MPs and I would hate to think that this method is not being taken advantage of."

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told ePolitix.com: "Fear of 'spam' must not let MPs be dissuaded from using email, which is one of the most effective communications tools available to them.

"If MPs are really to listen to the needs and concerns of their constituents, especially those in remote rural constituencies where it is impossible for residents to attend surgeries, then email is a vital means for constituents to be heard and for MPs to listen.

"The Alliance offers a weekly e-newsletter to supporters, the grass e-route, which goes to more than 60,000 people each week. For our supporters this is a vital link to what the Alliance is doing and what is going on at Westminster.

"It would have been hugely difficult to have got nearly half a million people marching on the streets of London last September without it.

"MPs should be more forward thinking and realise the potential of emails and e-newsletters - the benefits far outweigh the undoubted annoyance caused by spam, but in this day and age there is no excuse for not keeping people informed."

Forum Response: The Disabilities Trust

A spokesman for the Disabilities Trust told ePolitix.com: "While we understand concerns over the prevalence of 'spam' and that this can put them off using their email services, it is crucial for MPs to recognise that for people with disabilities, especially constituents, email remains one of the most important forms of communication available as it is both easily accessible for those with disabilities and a very direct method to reach MPs."