Members of the House of Lords are not elected. They are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. In practice most ‘peers’, as they are known, are currently nominated by the political parties. There are some independent peers, known as ‘crossbenchers’ who are now appointed through the House of Lords Appointments Commission. Members of the public can apply to the Commission to fill one of these places, or be nominated by an organisation.
Although most peers are not members of the House of Lords as representatives of a group or area of the country, many are former Councillors, MPs or MEPs from a locality, or have strong professional, family, or other links with an area. A large proportion of peers live in, or come from London. There is no obligation on them to take account of the views of the public, but many peers will assist individuals and groups who write to them, particularly if they feel strongly about the issue in question. 27 peers (3.75%) are from BME communities.
Although not all peers have offices at Westminster, the easiest way to contact members of the House of Lords is by writing to them, or phoning them at:
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
Telephone: 020 7219 3000
