Nominations are now open for candidates seeking to run in this May’s local elections.
There are two sets of elections taking place. The first is to Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) local authority, while the second set of elections is to Bridgend’s twenty town and community councils.
Full guidance on standing in the local authority/county borough elections is available from the Electoral Commission. There’s similar guidance for anyone seeking to stand in the town & community council elections.
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If you stand for the county borough election, you’ll need to record and report any expenses you incurred during the campaign period. The campaign period is defined as being from the time your nomination is confirmed to the close of polling on 5th May 2022.
The rules are covered in far more detail here (pdf), but the key things to be aware of are:
- You’ll have a campaign spending limit based on the number of electors in your chosen ward.
- If you issue joint campaign material with other candidates, this spending limit will be different.
- Items that are given for free or at a discount to help your campaign have to be accounted for (there’s more information in the guide linked above).
- You’ll have to keep spending records and submit an expenses return after the election.
- Donations of £50 and over will have to be recorded and there are specific rules around crowdfunding.
If you appoint an election agent it’ll largely be their job to authorise candidate-related payments and keep most of the records needed to fill in an expenses return. If you don’t have an agent, it’ll be down to you as the candidate to do all this.
If you want to run for the county borough or town/community councils and have a disability, you may be eligible for a grant through the Access to Office Fund. The amount of money you may receive will depend on your individual needs and this won’t be counted as election expenses.
For more information on the Access to Office Fund, visit Disability Wales.
