The single most important thing you can do to help further our campaign – apart from signing up as a supporter of BCAW – is to write to your local politicians. They’re much more likely to act on the issue of aircraft noise if they believe lots of their voters are actually bothered about it.
We especially recommend that you write to DUP politicians, whatever your own political allegiance, because the Environment Minister, who makes the key decisions on airport regulation and expansion, is a DUP Minister.
Here are some tips for writing to politicians if you want to make sure your letter or E-mail is actually read and is persuasive!
- Keep it short – you need more than one sentence, but a few paragraphs are usually enough
- Keep it dispassionate – in other words, don’t get emotive, highly subjective or use CAPITAL LETTERS – you’re likely to be dismissed as a ‘crank’
- Do include a few sentences summarising the problems that the planes cause for you – whether they’re disturbing your sleep, alarming your children or interrupting your conversations
- Do ask the politician what you’d like him/her to do on your behalf– urge the Environment Minister to do something? Persuade your local council to object to the runway extension plan? Raise the issue in the Assembly?
- If you don’t receive a reply within a couple of weeks, politely follow up by telephoning the politician’s office, checking the letter/E-mail was received and requesting a reply – you’re a voter, so you deserve a response!
You can find contact details for your local politicians at the following links.
MLAs (at the Northern Ireland Assembly): http://bit.ly/9ObCNa
Belfast City Council councillors: http://bit.ly/aeOl0O
North Down Borough Council councillors: http://bit.ly/9z4g7F
To sign up as a supporter of BCAW, click here
To make a complaint about an aircraft noise, pollution or safety matter, click here.
Follow us: