Definition of campaign expenditure
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) regulates campaign expenditure, which is defined as any expenditure incurred by a party for electoral purposes; that is, for the purpose of enhancing the standing of or promoting electoral success for a party at a forthcoming or future election. This includes issuing disparaging material relating to another party or its candidates.
Campaign expenditure includes any expenditure incurred by a party in connection with the following items:
- party political broadcasts
- advertising
- unsolicited material to electors
- manifesto or other policy documents
- market research and canvassing
- media/publicity
- transport
- rallies or other events
The PPERA specifies that 'notional expenditure' must also be treated as campaign expenditure. Notional expenditure is incurred when a party receives benefits in kind, i.e. when someone else bears the costs that a party would otherwise have been liable for; for example, a party supporter might pay half the costs towards a party's advertising campaign. The amount paid by the supporter would be treated as notional expenditure and would be counted as campaign expenditure incurred by the party.
Limits
All parties contesting a relevant election are subject to limits on expenditure incurred in the 'regulated period' in advance of an election. These limits are separate to the limits on election expenses incurred by individual candidates standing at elections. You can access further information on candidates' expenses here.
Parties are subject to expenditure limits at Parliamentary general elections, elections to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the European Parliament. There are no separate limits on campaign expenditure incurred during local election campaigns; however, expenditure incurred at local elections must be included in a party's expenditure return if the expenditure is incurred during a regulated period for another election.
Parties' expenditure limits are determined by the number of constituencies and/or regions that the party is contesting:
|
Election
|
Regulated period (ends with the date of the poll)
|
Determination of spending limit:
|
Maximum spend (based on party contesting all constituencies/regions) |
|
Westminster |
365 days |
£30,000 per constituency contested* |
£18.84m GB £540,000 NI |
|
Scottish Parliament |
4 months |
£12,000 per constituency contested plus £80,000 per region contested |
£1.516m |
|
National Assembly for Wales |
4 months |
£10,000 per constituency contested plus £40,000 per region contested |
£600,000 |
|
Northern Ireland Assembly |
4 months |
£17,000 per constituency contested |
£306,000 |
|
European Parliament |
4 months |
For each region contested, £45,000 multiplied by the number of MEPs returned for that region. |
£3.375m GB £135,000 NI |
*At Parliamentary general elections, a party's spending limit is either:
- £30,000 multiplied by the number of constituencies being contested
- or £810,000 in England; £120,000 in Scotland; or £60,000 in Wales
whichever is the greater.
Where expenditure is incurred across the whole of Great Britain, parties are required to apportion this expenditure to each of England, Scotland and Wales, in order to ensure that the individual limit for each country is not breached.
Reporting
Following an election, political parties are required to submit a report to us detailing all the campaign expenditure incurred by them. The report must itemise each individual item of expenditure, and give a breakdown of total expenditure incurred by reporting category and in each part of the UK. Reports must be submitted within three months of the election, if the party incurred expenditure of £250,000 or less, or within six months of the election if more than £250,000 was spent. Parties that spent more than £250,000 must submit a statement from an independent auditor with their report.
You can view reports of party campaign expenditure here.
