Culture is devolved to the Scottish Parliament, and with a lot of new MSPs (Members of Scottish Parliament) to build relationships with, it is more important than ever that we, as a performing arts community, engage with the policy-making processes.
We released our manifesto ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election and, on the same page, link to multiple other manifestos from our partner organisations. These are based on what we feel politicians need to focus on to support the performing arts. We need your help amplifying these messages.
Our Advocacy Lead, Georgia Grainger, has shared some tips and resources for engaging with MSPs to get the most for culture.
If you are campaigning on behalf of an organisation, particularly a registered charity, be aware that there may be extra regulations around what you can do – check out SCVO’s guidance on campaigning.
If you meet an MSP or member of the Scottish Government face-to-face about policy on behalf of an organisation, you may be required to register on the Lobbying Register. The Scottish Parliament have more information on this here.
Culture Counts have done a comprehensive round-up of the outcome of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, including each parties’ policies around culture, which we would recommend you have a look over.
Find Your MSPs
For the Scottish Parliament, you have 1 constituency MSP and 6 list MSPs. All 7 MSPs who represent you should be able to support you as their constituent. You can find your MSPs by entering your postcode here.
Check Their Stances
In the run up to the election, all the political parties released manifestos of all their priorities if they were to get into power as the next Scottish Government. These manifestos can be long and a bit dry, but you can search them for any issues you particularly care about. These will give you an idea of the overall priorities for each party, which may help you decide how to discuss your asks with a particular MSP. You can also check the Scottish Parliament Votes and Motions page, which can be filtered by MSP and searched by keywords, to see if a particular MSP has previously spoken about an issue.
Emailing MSPs
I would recommend contacting all your MSPs even if you did not personally vote for them, as they may still be an ally on a particular issue and all have a responsibility to represent you as a constituent regardless of political views.
To have the most impact, remember to:
- Email each MSP individually, addressed to their name (no ‘dear all’), so they have to respond to you directly
- Give your name and address including post code (or the address of your organisation) to show you are in their constituency/region
- Provide a brief introduction to your organisation, campaign, or personal circumstance
- Keep it brief, with a clear ask and tell them how you will know if they have successfully helped you
- Invite them to something – if you can provide comp tickets to a show or invite them to an event or rehearsal, this is a unique way our sector can build relationships with policy-makers.
- Be aware that MSPs’ diaries are very busy and often change last minute. You may have to offer some flexibility or be prepared to rearrange. If they cancel at short notice, it does not mean they don’t care and won’t want to engage in future.
Some areas of policy are decided at UK Parliament or local authority level so it is useful to check that the Scottish Parliament has the power to decide on the issues you are asking about. Culture is devolved so most decisions around it should happen at the Scottish Parliament level.
MSPs receive a lot of contacts like this, so you may not receive any response or may only get a generic response, but they still record the topics raised with them and may reach out at a later date.
Let us know!
As your sector support body, we are often advocating with MSPs, Scottish Government, and other policy-makers on your behalf. It is really helpful for us to know who you have spoken to, on what topics, and what kind of response you have had, so we don’t unnecessarily duplicate efforts. You can also reach out to us with any questions or for some support.
Our email is hello@scottishtheatre.org.
Resources
Electoral System – BBC Scotland have a video explaining Scotland’s electoral system. The Scottish Parliament also have a similar video explaining why there are two votes. BBC Bitesize also have great resources on how the Scottish Parliament works for all ages.
Campaigning for Charities – OSCR have guidance on political campaigning for registered charities.
Lobbying Advice from Other Sectors – many other organisations across other industries have guides on meeting with MSPs, including Friends of the Earth and the British Medical Association. There are many guides out there on how to run campaigns and write briefings as well.