Essex Wildlife Trust conducts its campaigning work in a legal and transparent way, following the guidance produced by the Charity Commission and in line with the Trust’s charitable aims. We never take a party-political stance and will never imply support for particular parties or candidates. Essex Wildlife Trust remains independent, standing up for nature’s best interest.
The Trust will express its views on issues of public policy that relate directly to our charitable objectives. We believe there are many ways in which the UK Government can contribute to improving the natural world and help The Wildlife Trusts to achieve our charitable aims. In order to do this, the politicians and political parties that influence the priorities, decisions and actions of the Government need to understand what we are trying to achieve, why it is important to society and what they can do to help. It is important that they adopt policies and pass laws that strengthen the natural environment and its ability to underpin the health and wellbeing of our society. It is vital they appreciate the enormous value the British public place on our wildlife and wild places, and reflect this in their decisions.
We avoid activity that could be regarded as “regulated activity” under the 2014 Transparency of Lobbying Act. In the run up to elections, Essex Wildlife Trust focuses its efforts on influencing the policies that will be adopted and promoted by the political parties and individual candidates, rather than influencing the way in which the public votes at elections. We will champion the natural environment – on land and at sea – and will be working to gain support for our views from politicians from right across the political spectrum.
We work impartially to promote the natural world with all politicians, as we have done for more than 60 years.