Non-party campaigners: Local elections in England

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What are non-party campaigners?

Non-party campaigners are individuals or organisations that campaign in elections, but are not standing as political parties or candidates. 

Non-party campaigners have to follow certain rules in the run-up to elections.

The types of non-party campaigns

There are two types of non-party campaigns. These are:

General campaignsLocal campaigns

Campaigns for or against:

  • one or more political parties
  • parties or candidates that support or do not support particular policies
  • other categories of candidate

 

Campaigns for or against:

  • one or more candidates
  • in a particular constituency, ward or other electoral area

 

 

This guidance covers the laws for local campaigns.

Spending on general campaigns is only regulated in the run-up to elections to:

  • the UK Parliament
  • the Scottish Parliament
  • the Senedd
  • the Northern Ireland Assembly

You can find guidance for other election types on our non-party campaigner search page.

Last updated: 18 December 2023