Mark Pack

UNISON to be fined for failing to declare election expenditure

By | Fri 3rd December 2010 - 11:45 am

Yesterday the Electoral Commission published information about the campaign spending by UK political parties during the 2010 general election. Buried near the end of the release was this news:

Two third parties – ‘UNISON – The Public Service Union’ and ‘Searchlight Information Services Ltd’ – failed to submit their spending return on time. The Commission has issued Searchlight Information Services with a fine. The Commission will issue UNISON – The Public Service Union with a fine when they submit their return.

The overall figures showed spending down from its heights of 2005, with 43 parties spending just under £32m for 2010 compared with a total of just over £42m for 2005. The total amount of election-related expenditure was significantly higher as these totals exclude sums declared on individual candidate expense returns and also exclude certain exempt categories, including various party staff salaries.*

The Liberal Democrat figure was £4,787,595, up from £4,324,574 in 2005.

* The introduction of these rules for the 2001 election campaign caused one of my favourite exchanges with the Electoral Commission during my time working for the party, which went something like this: ‘Just to check I’ve understood both the law and your guidance correctly – we have a member of staff here whose job title is General Election Planning Manager. However, their salary does not count towards the General Election expense limit, is that right?’ ‘Yes.’

Read more by or more about or .
This entry was posted in Election law and News.
Advert

4 Comments

  • Bryan 3rd Dec '10 - 1:26pm

    Agreed Geoffrey – wonderful voluntary organisations. If only the City had been a quarter as regulated as these bodies.

  • dilke 3rd Dec '10 - 1:45pm

    Whatever the rights and wrongs, it is worth knowing – I will be sending a donation to Searchlight. Bryan any city firm acting as a third party in the GE would have been equally regulated.

Post a Comment

Lib Dem Voice welcomes comments from everyone but we ask you to be polite, to be on topic and to be who you say you are. You can read our comments policy in full here. Please respect it and all readers of the site.

To have your photo next to your comment please signup your email address with Gravatar.

Your email is never published. Required fields are marked *

*
*
Please complete the name of this site, Liberal Democrat ...?

Advert

Recent Comments

  • David Le Grice
    Weird that this appears to be the first LDV article about this, and the first time anyone in the parliamentary party has spoken up about it (as far as I'm aware...
  • Jack
    Delighted to see conference overwhelmingly reject the EHRC guidance (they don't deserve three quarters of that name - I accept they are a commission). People ar...
  • Geoff Reid
    Somebody had to say it eventual!y. Thank you Tom for inviting us to be honest on this matter....
  • Hywel
    Important point there Paul. For all the angst about 'lack of cut through' that has pretty much been the case for most of the time the LIb Dems existed except f...
  • Roland
    @Gwyn, I agree with David Raw about relative urgency. However, even in the list of political reforms, I would put changes to voting way below the changes that n...