Resources for those we regulate

Overview

You will find information on this page to explain how we provide advice and guidance services for the organisations and individuals we regulate.

Our regulatory role is to promote the integrity and transparency of party and election finance. If you are looking for background information on the law that underpins our regulatory role please see the party and election finance page.

Find information for you

If you are looking for guidance and forms to help you comply with the law on party election finance please see the relevant guidance page:

political parties and party officers
register a new party
candidates and agents
non-party campaigners (recognised third parties)
campaigners in referendums (including permitted participants)
other regulated individuals (such as holders of elective office and members of political parties, including prospective candidates)
other regulated organisations (members associations and unincorporated associations)

Enquiries

If we regulate you and you need either tailored advice, or more help with compliance and party registration issues, please contact us by email at pef@electoralcommission.org.uk or telephone us on 020 7271 0616.

For assistance from the Commission's offices in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland please contact:

Scotland Office by email at infoscotland@electoralcommission.org.uk or by telephone 0131 225 0200

Wales Office by email at infowales@electoralcommission.org.uk or by telephone 029 2034 6800

Northern Ireland Office by email at infonorthernireland@electoralcommission.org.uk or by telephone 028 9089 4020

Advice and guidance services

Guidance pages on the website

We provide up-to-date information on the regulatory changes and events affecting our stakeholders in the updates section of each guidance page.

You can access our current written guidance and forms through these pages.

Written guidance and forms

We provide written guidance, statutory forms and explanatory notes to help you complete statutory forms. Most of our documents are produced in pdf format, although some are produced in excel or word format. If you experience any difficulties in downloading our guidance and forms please contact us through the enquiries service.

We have recently reviewed the guidance we provide for those we regulate and we will be phasing-in a new style of guidance over the course of the next year. We are making these changes to make it easier for you to find the specific information you are looking for and to make our guidance clear and understandable.

Training

We can provide training on request.

Our new-style guidance

We have produced our guidance in a new, more user-friendly format. It is organised as a suite of linked, bite-sized documents that become more complex as you move from an introduction towards detailed expert papers.

Introductions are relevant to everyone. Use an introduction to help you understand the subject and select the documents relevant to you.
Overviews and situations and procedures provide information in sufficient detail to meet the needs of most readers. Use these documents to guide you through reporting requirements or to increase your understanding of particular issues, processes or electoral events.
Expert papers are detailed guidance covering more difficult issues. The majority of people and organisations will not require this level of detail.
We also produce forms and explanatory notes to help you comply with the law.