Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Senedd elections

If you are currently a Member of the Senedd or hold another elective office, you are also required to follow laws regarding donations and loans you receive in connection with your political activities as a holder of elective office.1 This could include donations towards the running of your office, governmental work and party-political activities.

If you are a Member of the Senedd, this will include donations and loans you received towards your re-election to the Senedd before you officially become a candidate. The earliest date you can officially become a candidate is the date the Senedd is dissolved. These rules apply in addition to your obligations to declare interests to the Register of Members’ Interests. 

If you are collecting donations, we recommend that you are clear about whether funds are being raised in your capacity as Member of the Senedd, or to meet your party's campaign spending. Donations made towards the party's campaign spending must be reported as party donations. Once the Senedd is dissolved, and you have officially become a candidate, donations and loans you receive towards your re-election must also be reported as donations and loans to your party. 

If you receive donations and loans to the party, you should provide the details to your party and follow your party’s procedures for donations and loans. The party treasurer is responsible for reporting party donations and loans to us. The permissibility and reporting requirements for holders of elective office are set out below.

Holders of elective office are:2

• a member of the Senedd 
• a member of the UK Parliament 
• a member of the Scottish Parliament 
• a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly 
• a combined authority mayor
• a member of any local authority in the UK, excluding parish or community councils 
• a member of the Greater London Assembly 
• the Mayor of London or any other elected mayor 
• a Police and Crime Commissioner 

Permissibility and reporting requirements for holders of elective office

Elective office holders can only accept a donation from or enter a loan of more than £500 made in connection with their political activities if it is from or with a permissible source.3 You must check permissibility before entering a loan and you have 30 days from receipt of a donation to conduct permissibility checks and return it if it is impermissible.4 We refer to donations and loans collectively as benefits.

You must report benefits to us whenever the total amount of permissible donations accepted or loans entered from the same source exceeds £2,230.5 This may be a single donation or loan of over £2,230, or multiple benefits which together add up to more than £2,230. You must report this within 30 days of the reporting threshold being met.6 You must only include donations and loans over £500 when adding together benefits from the same source.

You must also report all impermissible donations received and loans entered with a value over £500 within 30 days of the date you returned or forfeited it.7  You do not need to add together impermissible benefits.

You must also report changes to permissible loans you have already reported to us.8

The list of permissible sources and further guidance can be found on our website.