Guidance for Returning Officers administering Local Government Elections in England

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Providing information on election spending

Candidates are required by law to follow certain rules regarding:

• how much they can spend
• who they can accept donations from
• what they must report after the election 

You should ensure that candidates and election agents have access to information on calculating the spending limit1 (including the electorate figure), spending returns and declarations in order to enable them to meet reporting requirements. 

At a local government election, candidates will need the total number of electors on the local government register for the electoral area on the last day for the publication of the notice of election (i.e. on the twenty-fifth working day before the poll)2 excluding any attainers who will not be 18 years old on or before polling day. 

If you are not also the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) you should liaise with the relevant ERO so that you are able to provide candidates with an accurate electorate figure that will allow them to calculate their spending limits. It is important that candidates are provided with the correct electorate figures so that they know how much they can spend. 

We have produced guidance for candidates and agents on spending and donations at local elections and local authority mayoral elections, which you can use to provide candidates and agents with information on spending returns and declarations in order to enable them to meet their reporting requirements: 

Local government elections: spending and donations

Parish council elections: spending

Local authority mayoral elections: spending and donations


Our template presentation for candidates and agents also contains guidance on spending and donations

Briefing for candidates and agents at a Local Government election in England (PPTX)

 

The CARO/CCARO should provide information on election spending to candidates and agents at the combined authority or combined county authority mayoral election. The Commission has produced guidance for candidates and agents on spending and donations at a combined authority/combined county authority mayoral election.

Combined authority mayoral election: spending and donations

Combined county authority mayoral election: spending and donations

To support candidates and agents in calculating the spending limit, the CARO/CCARO must provide, on written request, information on the total number of constituent councils together with the total number of local government electors on the registers across the combined authority/combined county authority area – excluding any attainers who will not be 18 years of age on or before polling day – on the last day for the publication of the notice of election (i.e. on the twenty-fifth working day before the poll).3 You should liaise with the CARO/CCARO to agree the timing and mechanism for supplying this information. 

Last updated: 1 October 2024