How we’re influencing decision makers in 2026 | Influence tracker

How we’re influencing decision makers in 2026 | Influence tracker

At The Wildlife Trusts we campaign for a wilder future, where everyone can benefit from and enjoy wildlife near them. We have a long history of campaigning for positive change for nature and people.

We connect, listen to and collaborate with communities of all kinds too, to help them save special places for wildlife and bring nature back where it has been lost.

Why do we campaign?

We campaign and engage with decision makers across the political spectrum to work towards our charity’s goals: to promote the conservation of nature, to have 30% of our land and sea in recovery by 2030 and to inspire at least 1 in 4 people to take action for nature to inspire societal change.

Although you can play a huge part in the 1 in 4 goal as individuals, to reach 30 by 30 we need our government and local authorities to commit to protecting the wild places we love and benefit from. 

How do we decide who to engage with?

With almost 50 constituencies/MPs and many more councillors in the area we cover (Lancashire, Greater Manchester and North Merseyside), we need to be selective with who we engage with given that we have a very small advocacy team. 

We do this by prioritising engagements with decision makers where we think we can have the most impact, e.g. we might have a nature reserve that needs protection in an MP’s constituency that they can advocate for, or someone new might be taking up post and it is a good opportunity to make them aware of the work we do in their patch. Sometimes decision makers reach out to us directly to discuss a certain topic.

In some areas we may not carry out much work compared to others, which is why we need your help. You can really make a difference and amplify our message by speaking to your MP and councillors about why nature matters to you.

In the interest of transparency about all the above, we’ve created this influence tracker to list each decision maker we’ve met with this year (2026), as well as any follow ups that may have taken place. By doing this we can hold ourselves and our MPs/councillors accountable for steps taken towards protecting and restoring nature.

Debbie King - Lancashire County Council's Head of Environment and Climate, and Councillor Josh Roberts - Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities (Reform)

 Lancashire County Council's Head of Environment and Climate, Debbie King, and Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities, Councillor Josh Roberts

 Lancashire County Council's Head of Environment and Climate, Debbie King, and Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities, Councillor Josh Roberts

Date: 18th February

Location: Brockholes Nature Reserve

Discussion points: We discussed implications of local government reform in Lancashire and how it will affect wildlife through the Lancashire Environment Record Network, Lancashire Biological Heritage Sites Partnership and other similar divisions. We also discussed how we can work with and help councils, recognising that our ecological expertise is very valuable for authorities in providing advice on decisions which affect nature. 

Follow ups: Lancashire County Council returned to Brockholes in March to launch their Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Labour)

Lizzi Collinge at Heysham Nature Reserve, March 2026

Lizzi Collinge at Heysham Nature Reserve, March 2026

Date: 6th March

Location: Heysham Nature Reserve

Discussion points: We discussed the Fingleton Review’s recommendations for nuclear power developments and the importance of considering ecosystems during the planning process. We also emphasised the importance of early engagement with the natural environment sector.

Follow ups: Lizzi accepted our invitation to visit the Our Future Coast project site at Sunderland Point in her constituency later this year, where the local community is engaging in designing coastal flood defence measures in the face of rising sea levels.

Hannah Spencer, MP for Gorton and Denton (Green Party)

Hannah Spencer MP

Hannah Spencer MP

Date: 7th April

Location: Bluebell Green, Levenshulme

Discussion points: A broad range of environmental legislation currently making its way through Parliament and where we think we need to go further for nature. She also met the Greater Manchester Environment Trust (GMET) team, a charity which we host and are a partner of.

Follow ups: Hannah requested a list of projects who were recipients of the GMET Green Spaces Fund in her constituency to visit them and promote the next round of the fund. We also provided some advice on a proposed development on a golf course, as well as a briefing pack to bring Hannah up to speed on environmental policy and legislation.

Last updated June 2026.