Local elections: how to listen to your community

Why listening to your community matters

We're campaigning on climate and justice in a challenging context. Many people are under pressure, worried about the cost of living, housing and public services. They’re frustrated that they don’t have control over decisions that affect their daily lives  

At the same time, there’s growing backlash against climate action, which is often framed as something that costs ordinary people.

Listening helps us respond to this context. It allows us to:

• start from people’s lived experience
• understand what feels most urgent locally
• show how climate justice connects to issues like warm homes, transport, clean air, green spaces and local jobs.

How and where to meet people

There is no single right way to meet your community. Choose approaches that suit your group’s capacity and your local context. You can use one method or combine several.

Community stalls and street conversations

Running a stall in a busy place allows you to have short, informal conversations.  

We’ve created a set of 10 stickers, that represent each of the key policy asks. You can ask people to choose the stickers representing the issue they think would have most impact on their lives. You could get creative and print a map of the local area, so people stick their votes on a place that means something to them locally.

We’ve also got  Cards of Hope, where people can add a short message about how a change would improve their life. 

• Pre-order stickers and cards of hope.

Make sure you have a sign-up form at your stall so people can join your mailing list and hear about what happens next. 

Events and meetings

You can build listening into existing events, partner meetings or community gatherings. This can work well where there is already trust and time for deeper discussion.

Listening activities can be part of coffee mornings, community walks, craft sessions or workshops.121 conversations in a relaxed and informal setting work really well for open and empowering conversations  

There is a paper survey you can edit and print to use in your community. This can be used at stalls or events, or for door-to-door listening. This template will be available at the end of January.  

For example, Norwich used a survey during the warm homes campaign by organising volunteers into pairs and targeting specific streets. Volunteers knocked on doors to explain the project and left a survey for people to complete and return later that day. This proved a strong way to engage residents, gather local insights and grow their mailing list.

Online

You can also run listening online using social media and an online survey. We have a template Action Network survey you can use. Email [email protected] and we will set this up for you.  

You can share the survey using WhatsApp or Facebook groups, using the template message provided.  

Using social media is an important in helping you be transparent, invite wider participation, and signal that the process is grounded in listening. Posting in this way can help reach people who may not already be connected to environmental groups and show that you are open to hearing diverse perspectives on local environmental justice issues.  When sharing things on social media make sure you have moderation principles in advance.

Creative mapping and storytelling

You may want to use other creative approaches. For example, printing a map of your local area and inviting people to mark places that matter to them, or places where they want to see change.

Working with partners

Partners can help you reach people you might not otherwise connect with. You can run simple listening sessions and ask partners what issues matter most to them and their communities. 

We have templates to support partner engagement, including:  

• a template email to invite partners  
• a simple session outline for partner meetings

You can also apply for a grant to get funding for working in partnership, for example if you’re hosting an event and need catering or venue costs covered.

What to find out

By getting out into our communities, we build relationships, raise awareness of what councils can influence, and better understand how local decisions affect everyday life.  

When speaking to people, we want to hear from them and understand:

• what issues people care about most in their local area
• how these issues affect their everyday lives
• which issues feel most urgent or unfair
• whether there are priorities missing from the initial list we provide

Start a conversation

At the beginning of a conversation with someone in your community, it's important to be clear and honest about the purpose.

• Introduce yourself.
• Say you're a volunteer.
• Explain the purpose of the conversation and how long it might take.
• End your introduction with an open question to the person you're speaking with. This'll allow them to start sharing about themselves.  

Examples of things to say

Examples of an open question could be:

• What do you like about living here?

As you listen to the person speaking, use further open questions - questions which can't be answered with a yes or no. Practice active listening to build your connection and understand more about them. You can do this by:

• Exploring their background principles, motivations, and concerns.
• Listening more than you talk. We recommend listening for 70% and speaking 30% of the time.
• Repeat parts of what they say to demonstrate you're understanding them.
• Endorse what they're saying and show understanding and empathy.

Read more about how to have persuasive conversations.

Using local data to support listening  

Alongside community input, you can use our local data tool to better understand your area. This tool allows you to explore data by local authority, including information related to housing, transport, inequality and environmental issues.  

Data should support listening, not replace it. It can help you strengthen your understanding of the most pertinent local issues and provide evidence to support what people are telling you.  

Listening safely and wellbeing  

We also know misinformation and anti-climate narratives are common. You do not need to challenge every claim. Offering an alternative that is hopeful, grounded and factual is often more effective.  

If you would like to feel more equipped, you can read our policy teams blog on responding to common climate myths. You can also read our guide on having persuasive conversations. Or watch this short video from The Guardian about having tricky conversations with friends and family.  

If you're concerned that someone may be at risk of abuse or harm then please email the Friends of the Earth safeguarding team as soon as possible at [email protected]. You can also read our advice for local groups on safeguarding. 

Structuring conversations to make it easier for people to engage

We have a list of 10 broad priority areas linked to climate and social justice:

1. Protect our community from extreme weather
2. Say no to harmful developments
3. Plant more trees and improve green spaces
4. Help local farmers adapt to more extreme weather
5. Welcome refugees and migrants
6. Lower energy bills and warm homes
7. Better public transport and healthy air
8. More local green jobs and training for young people
9. More resilient communities
10. Local climate solutions funded by wealthy polluters

These are designed to help structure conversations and make it easier for people to engage.

People can:

• choose which of the 10 matters most to them
• prioritise between different issues
• add something else if their top concern is not on the list.

It's important that people do not feel constrained by the list.

What to do next

Once you have completed your listening work, you will:

• identify 3 to 5 shared priorities
• turn these into your local Charter of Hope using our template (available from February)
• use the charter to keep the community engaged and to engage election candidates and decision makers
• templates and step by step guidance will be available soon to support each stage.

Resources and support

Resources you have available to support you:  

• Pre-order stickers to vote on the policy areas that feel most relevant.
• Pre-order cards of hope to capture messages from community members.  
• Online survey hosted on Action Network (email us to set this up for you).

There will be more resources available soon.

Places we can offer you support:

• join our WhatsApp group, sign up to the community  
• come along to a bi-weekly drop-in session to hear form campaigners, policy experts and ask us anything. We’re here to help with practical and hands on support during these drop ins.  
• get in touch with your local staff member or reach out to [email protected].