Motion for the Ocean Toolkit

The toolkit on this page is designed to help and support you through the process of contacting your council. Email us at m4to@bsac.com to let us know if you contact them so we can track our collective impact and support you along the way.

Step 1 – Has your local council already passed a Motion for the Ocean?

Use the map below to check if your council has already passed a Motion for the Ocean. You can find the name of your local council here.

• If NO → go to Step 2
• If YES → go to Step 8

 

Step 2 – Ask your local councillor to propose a Motion for the Ocean

If your local council has not yet passed a Motion for the Ocean:

2a. Find out who to write to

• First, find the name and contact details of your local councillor

2b. Craft your letter or email

• You can contact councillors by email or letter. Check out our top tips for writing to councillors

Councillors receive a lot of correspondence from residents and so it will really help to make your email or letter stand out. Make sure to include your postcode so they know you are a local resident.

Below is a starting point for your email or letter to your local councillor. Make it as personal and as locally relevant as possible, rather than just copying and pasting this. The key thing is to explain your personal motivation for caring about this issue.

Letter template for editing: 

2c. Attach the correct ‘Motion for the Ocean Pack’ to your letter or email 

• Live in England by the coast? Attach the COASTAL Motion for the Ocean Pack. 
• Live in England inland? Attach the INLAND Motion for the Ocean Pack. 
• Live in Wales by the coast? Attach the COASTAL Motion for the Ocean Pack. 

Don’t live in England?  

The Motion for the Ocean team is currently developing specific versions for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Please get in touch with us at m4to@bsac.com if you are from these areas and would like to get involved.   

Top Tip: As well as your local councillor, it can be useful to send the Motion for the Ocean request to the councillor that leads on environmental issues for the whole area. Not all councils have this, so check on your local council’s website. This may be listed as 'Cabinet Member' or 'Portfolio Holder' for either environment, biodiversity, or climate change. If in doubt, you can call your local council to check. 

Top tip: Councils are made up of councillors from different political parties and/or independent councillors. The party with the most elected councillors runs the council, known as being “in administration”. If your local councillor is not from this political party, it can be hard for them to get a motion passed. Have a look online at the councillors from the political party that runs the council and write to any that are active on environmental issues.  

 

Step 3 – Tell us that you have written to your local councillor 

This is REALLY important. PLEASE let us know at m4to@bsac.com if you email or send a letter to your council. We want to track our collective impact and support you along the way. 

Let us know which council you have written to (include the date please) and again if and when you receive a reply. 

We’d love to see the email you sent them if you feel comfortable sharing it. We can then look to build up a greater understanding of what is working. 

 

Step 4 – Share it with the world! 

Tell everyone 

Tell your club, scuba diving and snorkelling friends and family members (anyone you can!) that you have written to your local councillor. Tell your friends at club night, the pub or even after the dive… you get the idea! 

Share it with the world online 

Post on social media (your own or your club’s social media, or ideally both!) – remember to tag @bsacdivers (and your local council/councillor too) and use #bsacdivers and #Motion4theOcean so we can celebrate your action and inspire others to do the same.  

Let’s show the power of our community in protecting our waters. 

Post suggestions below. These are just ideas, if helpful, or go with your own! 

 

 

 

Step 5 – Feel good and wait for a reply 

Before moving on, take a moment to feel good about what you’ve just done. By reaching out to your council, you’ve taken real action for ocean recovery. Whether it leads to a motion being passed or simply starts an important conversation, every step helps turn the tide for our ocean and waterways. Thank you for making a difference. �� 

Councillors are busy people and it’s not unusual to wait longer than you might expect for a reply.  

• If you get a reply → go to Step 6
• If you have not heard anything after a week → send a polite follow up email. 
• If you don’t hear anything after 2 or 3 attempts, you could try… 

5a. Speak to your councillor face-to-face at a “Meet Your Councillor” surgery 

Many councillors hold surgeries, which is a session for residents to go along to meet their councillor. Check the council website or social media for the times of the next surgery and, if you need to, book an appointment. 

Prepare for the meeting by printing out a copy of the relevant ‘Motion for the Ocean pack’ to hand to the councillor if possible. 

If the councillor says they are willing to take it forward, thank them and say you will follow up soon by email. Wait 1-2 weeks before emailing again to see how it has progressed and when they might take it to full council (see Step 6). 

Be prepared that the councillor may say they are not able to take this forward. Although this is frustrating, you must respect their decision. See Step 7 for what to do in this situation. 

5b. Submit a question for the next council meeting 

Any local resident can submit a question to be asked at the next council meeting.  

These must be submitted in advance, normally at least 10 days before the meeting. Check your council’s website for the deadline and where to send them. Not all are picked, but this can be a useful means of getting the Motion for the Ocean on their agenda.  

• If no luck → go to Step 7

 

Step 6 – Your councillor says YES, and they will propose a Motion for the Ocean  

Congratulations, a very big well done!  Please let us know at m4to@bsac.com  

Ask them when they will be proposing the Motion for the Ocean. They may take it to the next council meeting, or they may wait for a few months. There may be political reasons why they wait, and it is important to trust their judgement. There is a lot of work involved for a councillor to take forward a motion. Stay in touch with them and if you or they need support, let us know by emailing us at m4to@bsac.com. 

In the meantime, you can ask your club, fellow divers/snorkellers, friends, and/or colleagues to help. Share this toolkit with them and ask them to consider writing to the council too.  

As well as writing to their local councillor, ask them to copy in the Portfolio Holder/Cabinet Member responsible for environmental issues. This person will then see that many local residents care about this issue. 

When you know the date of the Council meeting when the Motion for the Ocean will be voted upon, go along if you can. Members of the public can attend these meetings and it’s a fascinating way to learn about local democracy. Take fellow club members, other divers/snorkellers, family, friends and anyone else you can.  

Take a sign saying ‘Motion for the Ocean’ (see Graphics, Photos and videos section for support with promo material), and take some photos or video outside the meeting (not inside and definitely not during). If the Motion for the Ocean is passed, cheer and then go to step 6a! If it is not, then remain respectful and go to step 6b. 

6a. If your council passes a Motion for the Ocean 

• Firstly - Thank the councillor for their work on this by sending them an email, card or letter. You could also write a letter to the local paper thanking the councillor – this helps raise awareness locally too.

• Next, tell us! Email your story to m4to@bsac.com

We’ll be giving out special certificates signed by the Motion for the Ocean Co-Founder, Emily Cunningham MBE, to clubs and members that secure a Motion for the Ocean in their local area. You will also receive graphics for your website and social media. 

• And of course….Post on social media to share your amazing success! Use your own (and your club’s social media if you’re in a club). Remember to tag @bsacdivers (and your local council/councillor too) and use #bsacdivers and #Motion4theOcean 

Something like these… 

 

 

• And very importantly - celebrate your important work in making this happen. Well done!

• Next → go to Step 8

6b. If your council votes against the Motion for the Ocean and it is not passed 

Although rare, this does happen from time to time. It is normal to feel disappointed and frustrated, but please remain polite and respectful. It can help to sleep on it before posting anything online or sending any emails. Please let us know as soon as possible if this has happened. Email m4to@bsac.com.  

Write to the councillors that proposed the Motion for the Ocean, thanking them for their work and asking for their advice on if it could be revisited in the future. They may suggest you wait a little while for certain political factors to change, e.g. upcoming local elections. Heed their advice, but in the meantime, you can continue to build local public support for a Motion for the Ocean by giving talks and building a list of supportive people.  

Then, when it seems favourable to retry, you have a list of ready supporters who can help. At this point, go to Step 7.  

 

Step 7 – Your councillor says NO  

If your councillor has said no to proposing a Motion for the Ocean, respect their decision and do not contact them again on this matter.  

Although this can feel frustrating, remain polite and respectful and thank them for their time.  

Some possible next steps: 

7a. Write to a different councillor within the council  

It can be easier for a councillor that is a member of the political party that runs the council to propose a motion, but if no luck there then you can try a councillor from a different party — ideally someone who has shown that they are interested in environmental issues. You can find this out by looking on their public social media pages (many councillors have a public Facebook page or Instagram account for their council duties) or by reading the minutes of recent council meetings, which are all available on the council website.  

7b. Ask your fellow club members, divers, friends and colleagues to write to the council 

Share this toolkit with your club mates and friends and ask them to consider writing to the council.  

They can write to their local councillor, but ask them to copy in the Portfolio Holder/Cabinet Member responsible for environmental issues (if there is one). They will then see that many local residents care about this issue.  

7c. Organise a petition to show local councillors how many local residents care about this issue

Collect the names and postcodes of local residents who want to see a local Motion for the Ocean. It can also be helpful to ask people for their age and job role, to show the diversity of people that support a Motion for the Ocean. You can do this on paper or online.  

Local residents in Nottingham did this and Nottingham City Council listened, passing a Motion for the Ocean in early 2024. You can see their petition here.  

If your local council has passed a Motion for the Ocean…  

 

Step 8 – Are they delivering what they said they would? 

8a. If you supported your local councillor to pass a Motion for the Ocean 

Stay in touch and offer your support on delivering the pledges. Normally they have 12 months to prepare an action plan on what they will do, so you can offer your support on helping make this action plan ambitious. If you or they need support, let us know by emailing m4to@bsac.com. 

8b. If you haven’t spoken to them before but see they have already passed a Motion for the Ocean 

Check their website to see when they declared a Motion for the Ocean. If it was less than 12 months ago, they may still be preparing the local action plan. You can email your local Councillor (see Step 2), introducing yourself and your interest, and asking them how it is progressing. If no response, see tips under Step 5.  

If a Motion for the Ocean was passed more than 12 months ago and they have not yet published an action plan, all the more reason to check in with them.  

Step 9 – Keep holding them to account 

It’s important that councillors know that the Motion for the Ocean remains a priority for local residents, especially if the councillor behind it loses at an election and someone new takes over.  

If you feel the Motion for the Ocean work has slipped or been forgotten, use the tips under Step 7 to remind councillors that local residents care.  

Now that you have spoken with your local councillor, you can also make them aware of other (environmental) issues that you care about. Don’t assume that they don’t care, they may just not be aware — councillors can only act on things they know about. 

Step 10 – Keep us updated and spread the word 

Share your success stories, photos and videos from any events, and any news of your work on this. 

Send these to m4to@bsac.com or share on social media using #Motion4theOcean, #BSACdivers and tagging @bsacdivers. 

Remember that pledge 6 is about growing ocean literacy and marine citizenship in your local area, and BSAC clubs are perfectly placed to support on this. Speak with your councillor to see if you could work with them to offer try dives, events, talks, or develop new projects together.  

Thank you and please feed back!  

We will reward the clubs and members going above and beyond, watch this space! 

We welcome feedback from clubs and members who have gone through this process, including suggestions on how to improve it. Send these to m4to@bsac.com. Thank you.