Guidance for Candidates and Agents at local government elections in England

Personal expenses

Personal expenses include the reasonable travel and living expenses of the candidate for the purposes of and in relation to the election.1  Personal expenses do not count towards the spending limit but you must report them on your spending return.2

Personal expenses can include:

  • public transport or taxi fares
  • purchasing fuel for a vehicle or charging an electric vehicle
  • hiring a car if candidate does not already own a car, or if their car is not suitable for campaigning
  • staying at a hotel

For some personal expenses, you will need to estimate the proportion of your costs that are attributable to the election. For example, if you own a car, some of the fuel or charging costs during the election period are likely to be for other purposes. You should make an honest and reasonable assessment of these costs. 

For domestic charging of electric vehicles, where there is no specific invoice for charging, you can estimate the cost by:

  • comparing the capacity of the vehicle’s battery with your cost per unit of electricity, and reporting an estimate of how many full charges are attributable to the election, or
  • comparing your vehicle’s mileage per unit of electricity to your cost per unit of electricity, and reporting an estimate of mileage attributable to the election

Candidates must provide a written statement of their personal expenses to their agent within 21 days of the result being declared.3

If personal expenses are provided to the candidate free of charge, or at a non-commercial discount of more than 10% and the difference in value between what the candidate pays is more than £50, it will also be reportable as notional spending and a donation to the candidate. Please see notional spending for more details.

Last updated: 13 December 2024