Introduction
This guidance is for non-party campaigners who are campaigning at local elections in Wales.
Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, non-party campaigners must follow rules about how much they can spend on campaign activities in the run up to certain elections.
This guidance explains how the rules apply.
What are non-party campaigners?
Non-party campaigners are individuals or organisations that campaign in elections, but are not standing as political parties or candidates.
Non-party campaigners have to follow certain rules in the run-up to elections.
The types of non-party campaigns
There are two types of non-party campaigns. These are:
| General campaigns | Local campaigns |
|---|---|
|
Campaigns for or against:
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Campaigns for or against:
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You can find more information about the different types of campaigns in our guidance Non-party campaigners: Where to start.
The general campaign rules do not apply at elections in Wales in 2023. You therefore do not have to register with us or report donations to us, and spending on activities directed only at your members will still count towards your spending total.
Local campaigns at local elections
If you are campaigning for or against a candidate at a local election in Wales, you are covered by the rules for local campaigns.
The Electoral Commission does not regulate local campaigning. Complaints about possible breaches should be made to the police.
Under the local campaign rules, there are limits on how much you can spend on campaigning for or against particular candidates in a constituency or local electoral area. These limits are different, depending on the size of the electorate in the relevant area.
These spending limits cover spending on most campaign activities, including leaflets, meetings and digital campaigning.
Spending limits
During a regulated period, non-party campaigners are subject to limits on their spending on campaign activity.
The spending limit for local elections is:
- £50 plus 0.5p per local government elector in the ward who is registered to vote on the last day for publication of the notice of election in the ward
For example
If there are 1,000 people on the ward electoral register, your spending limit for campaigning for or against a candidate would be:
- £50 + (1000 x 0.5p)
- £50 + (£5) = £55
Your local elections office will be able to give you the number of electors in the ward.
You can find the contact details for your local elections office on our Elections in your area page.
You should keep a record of your spending, to make sure that you do not exceed the spending limit.
Any spending over these limits must be authorised by the agent of the relevant candidate. The authorised spending will count as candidate spending and towards the candidate’s spending limit.
Reporting
If authorisation is given, the agent will need to include your spending in the candidate spending return. You will need to give the agent the necessary details for that spending to be included.
If you spend more than the limit you must also complete a spending return and declaration and deliver these to the relevant Returning Officer within 21 days of the result being declared.
You can find contact details for the local elections office using our postcode lookup.
In both documents you must include:
- the constituency name
- the date of publication of notice of the election (you can find this out from your local Returning Officer)
- the name of the election agent who authorised the spending
- the name of the candidate whose agent authorised the spending
- your name as the organisation or individual who incurred the spending
In the return you must include your total amount of spending, and you must attach the agent's written authorisation for your spending.
In the declaration you must declare that the return is complete and correct, and include details about what the spending was on, under “the matters for which the spending referred to were incurred”.
Imprints
Under the law, some campaign material must contain details to show who is responsible for the material. This provides transparency for voters.
If you produce material that relates to an electoral event, or to a party, candidate or elected office-holder, you may need to include an imprint.
Imprints can be required on digital material and printed material.