Non-party campaigners: Senedd elections

A non-party campaigner takes part in joint campaigning when the following key principles apply:

• they enter into a plan or other arrangement with one or more other non-party campaigners
• all non-party campaigners involved intend to spend money on regulated campaign activities in pursuance of that plan or arrangement
• one or more of the non-party campaigners involved actually incurs spending on regulated campaign activities as part of the plan or arrangement and
• that plan or arrangement can reasonably be regarded as intending to achieve a common purpose.1

We recognise that campaigners may come together to campaign in a variety of ways, both formal and informal, and that the ways campaigners interact with other campaigners may change during a campaign.

If you are thinking about starting a joint campaign and would like advice, or you are unsure whether you and another campaigner are working together as part of a joint campaign, you can email or call us for advice.

There must be more than one non-party campaigner

For the joint campaigning controls to apply, there must be more than one non-party campaigner involved.

Being part of a group or umbrella organisation where the organisations make decisions about their campaign activities independently is not joint campaigning as there is no plan or arrangement between non-party campaigners. 

Establishing a new organisation or group of non-party campaigners to spend money on campaigning will not be joint campaigning unless the key principles outlined above apply. More information on this can be found in Establishing a new organisation.

There must be an agreed intention to spend money on regulated campaign activities as part of the arrangement

If there is no intention to spend money on regulated campaign activities, there is no joint campaigning. For example, if you agree that all activity will be carried out by volunteers no spending will be incurred and there will be no joint campaigning.

There must be an agreed understanding as to the scope and purpose of the campaign

Non-party campaigners who happen to campaign about similar or related issues are not joint campaigners.

One or more of the non-party campaigners must incur spending on regulated campaign activities as part of the plan or arrangement, which is treated as spending on behalf of all campaigners involved

All spending on regulated campaign activities incurred as part of the plan or arrangement will fall within the joint campaigning rules. Even if one of the campaigners involved in the plan or arrangement does not incur their share of agreed spending, any spending incurred will still be joint campaigning and it may be reportable by all non-party campaigners involved.

Only spending that was agreed as part of the joint campaign counts towards the spending limit of the other non-party campaigners involved in the joint plan. Any spending that goes beyond or is incurred outside of the agreed plan or arrangement will not be counted as joint campaigning.