Expenses

Once the election is officially called that may well not be the end of scandals involving expenses.
After Parliament has been dissolved MPs are no longer MPs but if they have been selected by their party to run again, or are running independently they are candidates.There is a strict limit to how much candidates are allowed to spend, or have spent on their behalf during elections. For borough constituencies such as those in Sheffield the limit is £7150 plus 5p per elector so Sheffield Central for example will have an expenses limit of approximately £11500 which they will have had to raise personally or from party funds. If the candidate is accepting donations then any that are over £50 must be declared and conform to rules abut the donor. Items that are counted in these expenses include:

• Leaflets and other unsolicited material sent to electors
• Advertising
• Transport
• Public meetings
• Staff costs
• Accommodation
• Admin costs, such as stationery, telephone calls

While some items are excluded such as:

• Volunteer time
• Use of anyone’s sole or main home, if it is given free of charge
• Transport in a vehicle which was acquired for someone’s personal use, and given free of charge
• Use of computing or printing equipment primarily acquired for personal use (if given free of charge)

Candidates also get one free mailout to all registered electors and the use free use of rooms for public meetings. Receipts and invoices must be kept and submitted after the election. The full sets of rules and advice for candidates and their agents is on the Electoral Commission's website.