The Electoral Commission has this past week published the latest donation and borrowing figures for the political parties, showing that the Lib Dems raised £810,029 in the first three months of this year.
(At the foot of this post is the full breakdown of cash and non-cash donations received by quarter since 2005, and annually between 2001 and 2004.)
By comparison, the party raised just £219,915 in the first quarter of 2006 (the equivalent stage of the parliamentary cycle), suggesting a far more sustainable level of fundraising success is being achieved; although the party has been hit very hard since its move into government by the loss of ‘Short Money’ paid to opposition parties.
Here’s the breakdown of donations by source:
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Company (12 gifts) = £207,360.69
Individual (42 gifts) = £265,165.64
Trust (1 gift) = £280,044.00
Unincorporated Association (18 gifts) = £57,458.78
Five/six-figure gifts coming from the following: Lib Dem HQ (1924) Pension Fund (£280k), C & C Alpha Group (£120k), Thomas R L Fraser (£70k), Ministry of Sound Ltd (£26k), Philip Smith (£25k), PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (£25k), Dominic Mathon (£20k), Richard Duncalf (£16.5k), Newcastle upon Tyne Lib Dem Council Group (£12.5k), J Donald Hanson (£10k), Kenneth H Lavendar (£10k), Lord Strasburger (£10k), Auvian Limited (£10k).
7 elected Lib Dems or peers contributed this quarter – those who gave £1k+ I spot-checked were: Lord Strasburger (£10k), Mayor Dave Hodgson (£4.5k), Alan Reid (£2.6k), Lord Willis of Knaresborough (£2.5k), Lord Rennard (£2.4k), Lord Wallace of Tankerness (£2k), Lord Roberts of Llandudno (£1.5k).
Our figures are of course dwarfed by the Tories and Labour fundraising among their friends in big business and the trade unions. Labour raised four times the Lib Dems’ total donations from trade unions alone — £2.5m in the first quarter of this year (with just £59k provided by individuals). The Conservatives, meanwhile, were more successful in raising money from individuals (£2.7m), but were also very heavily reliant on their friends in big business, receiving well over £1m from corprorate gifts.
In terms of outstanding loans, however, the Lib Dems are in a much healthier position. The party has £416,989 registered with the Electoral Commission, compared with £2.6m for the Tories, and a stonking £9.8m of loans helping keep Labour afloat.
Not susprisingly, this is a tricky time for the Lib Dems, in government for the first time in 80 years, and having to fight opponents with deep-pocketed friends and a viciously hostile media. So if you are in a position to help the Liberal Democrats fight on a level-playing field, there has never been a more important time to do so. You can donate to the national party using this secure link.
Here are a few of the ways in which your gift can make a difference to the party’s campaigning in the months ahead:
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* £10 will pay for a Focus newsletter for 500 houses
* £25 will buy 2,000 tabloid-style newspapers
* £50 pays for a dozen super-size election garden posters
* £100 will cover a Focus leaflet for a whole ward
* £250 will pay for 10,000 addressed letters to be delivered by volunteers
Here are the full Lib Dem donation figures, 2001-11:
2011, Q1 = £810,029
2011 (to date) = £810,029
2010, Q1 = £1,931,147
2010, Q2 = £2,047,071
2010, Q3 = £371,861
2010, Q4 = £532,033
2010 = £4,882,112
2009, Q1 = £790,075
2009, Q2 = £1,088,083
2009, Q3 = £747,658
2009, Q4 = £1,045,817
2009 = £3,671,633
2008, Q1 = £385,931
2008, Q2 = £635,435
2008, Q3 = £519,823
2008, Q4 = £875,611
2008 = £2,416,800
2007, Q1 = £607,457
2007, Q2 = £631,451
2007, Q3 = £731,364
2007, Q4 = £853,387
2007 = £2,823,659
2006, Q1 = £219,915
2006, Q2 = £233,669
2006, Q3 = £571,715
2006, Q4 = £1,643,859
2006 = £2,669,158
2005, Q1 = £3,709,897
2005, Q2 = £713,656
2005, Q3 = £174,751
2005, Q4 = £317,188
2005 = £4,915,492
2004 = £2,374,319
2003 = £1,223,135
2002 = £618,783
2001 = £1,052,010
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10 Comments
£5 will pay an intern for an 8 hour day at LibDem HQ…
Can we please stop using the line “first time the liberal Democrats have been in Government for 80 years”.
It’s not true on so many levels.
Firstly the Liberal Democrats ahve not been around for 80 years, but only since the merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party.
Secondly, even if one generous includes the predecessor parties – the Liberal Party had Government Ministers in the National Government in the 1930’s and the Wartime Coalition Government, so why not be proud of that hertitage. 1945 was only 65 years before the formation of the coalition government. If the coalition had been formed on the basis of national emergency rather than Nick Clegg discovering the big society was the same as liberalism (utter blige Nick) – then the Lib Dems might be a whole lot more popular.
Thirdly, one could argue that members of the SDP were in Government in the 1960’s and 1970’s (some like Shirley Williams are still around) or that the Scottish Parliament or European Parlament represent experience of Government – justa thought.
I don’t know where they get their figures from but £20/thousand Focuses seems a little steep. However, since when did a donation to the national party directly fund local party (or local branch) expenditure?
It’ll always be the way that the Lib Dems will be outspent compared to the other two parties, what we should be putting our resources in is people…
The relative size of Labour and Conservative donations show even more the need to rebuild the local government base in many parts of the country. This is going to require a significant shift in policy at the centre.
Can someone reassure me about the donation that seems to come from a pension fund? I would imagine it’s all OK, but seems a little odd.
Just googled that pension fund; looks like it was an old fund being wound up, so that is a one-off £280k contribution, which makes the overal figure look much healthier than perhaps it will be longer term.
@Stuart
This was in the reports to conference about the 1924 pension fund:
“Over the past fifteen years the Party has been trying to resolve the future of three historic Trusts, set up to support staff costs in the Party over ninety years ago. The 1924 HQ Retirement Fund was resolved in October 2010, and £260,000 was transferred with the permission of the Pension Regulator into the 1975 HQ Retirement Fund, which is the sole remaining Party Pension fund. The 1975 HQ Retirement Fund is closed to new members, but has been in deficit for a number of years. It is expected that the Triennial valuation completed in April 2010 will now show the 1975 Fund is back in surplus.”
Stuart “Can someone reassure me about the donation that seems to come from a pension fund? I would imagine it’s all OK, but seems a little odd.”
It is the transfer of the 1924 fund which has no potential beneficiaries left to the 1975 fund which still has a number of potential benficiaries alive. However given the terms of PPERA it is a reportable donation agreed with the Electoral Commission and the Pensions Regulator.
David
I wonder why Ministry of Sound would be eager to see a sensible drugs policy.
How many members are there in the Lib Dem Party?