Political parties will often spend money at elections, promoting the party in general as well as particular candidates.
At the Greater London Authority elections, parties who stand candidates on a London-wide list have their own spending limit for campaigning. This covers spending promoting party list candidates, as well as spending promoting the party in general.
Sometimes spending by parties to promote the party is also spending promoting a candidate. In these cases, the spending may be reportable by the candidate.
What is spending to promote the candidate?
If an activity is aimed at voters in the electoral area in which the candidate is standing to promote or secure the election of that candidate, then it is spending to promote the candidate.
For example, activity promoting a party will be regarded as promoting a candidate whenever the item either:
identifies the specific candidate
identifies the specific electoral area in which the candidate is standing
Where material is distributed across a number of electoral areas, you will need to apportion the costs of the activity.
Where material:
features a candidate
is distributed across a wider area than just the specific electoral area in which that candidate is standing
a proportion of the cost of that material will be regarded as used for the purposes of the candidate’s election.
The proportion that will be regarded as used for the purposes of the candidate’s election is the cost of distribution in that candidate’s specific electoral area.
If you are in any doubt as to whether spending is or will be candidate or party spending, you should contact us.
For more information on political party campaign spending, see our guidance on party campaign spending.
Please see Splitting spending for further information on apportioning spending.