Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Senedd election

We are, by law, required to monitor compliance with candidate election spending and donations, and regulate spending and fundraising by parties.

There are legal maximum limits on candidates’ and parties’ spending at the Senedd election. Individual candidates account for their own election spending and donations, whereas the party accounts for spending to promote party list candidates and the party generally.

Individual candidates must report their election spending and donations to you. In addition, party list candidates must deliver a declaration of their personal expenses to you. Parties must report their election spending directly to the Electoral Commission.

Individual candidates

Election agents for individual candidates at the election must deliver a candidate’s spending return to you, together with relevant invoices and receipts, within 35 calendar days of the declaration of result of the election.1

Individual candidates and their election agents must deliver a declaration vouching for the candidate’s election spending return to you. The election agent’s declaration must be delivered at the same time as the return.2 Individual candidates’ declarations must be delivered within 7 working days of the election agent submitting the return.3

If the candidate is out of the UK when the return is delivered to you, they may make the declaration within 14 days after returning to the UK and deliver it to you as soon as possible.4

Local non-party campaigners

Individuals and organisations (known as local non-party campaigners) may spend up to £1,000 campaigning for or against one or more individual candidates in a constituency.5 Candidates and their election agents may authorise local non-party campaigners in writing to spend more than this amount campaigning for or against one or more individual candidates in a constituency.

Authorised local non-party campaigners must deliver a spending return and declaration to you within 21 days of the declaration of result of the election, along with a copy of the written authorisation from the candidate or election agent.6

Party list candidates

Party list candidates must deliver a declaration of their personal expenses to you within 35 calendar days of the declaration of result of the election.7

If the candidate is out of the UK when the return is delivered to you, they may make the declaration within 14 days after returning to the UK and deliver it to you as soon as possible.8