Sacc is standing firm on candidates’ spending limit

The States Assembly & Constitution Committee said that having been sent back to reconsider by the States in May, it was still firmly of the opinion that its proposals were ‘correct, reasonable and balanced’.

The States has already agreed limits of £6,000 and £12,000 for individual candidates and parties respectively, but sent Sacc back to look at lower limits, with some deputies in favour of going as low as £2,000.

The committee did so, but has continued to reject lower limits.

It said it took into account the limits agreed for general elections in 2016 and 2020 and their rationale, the limits in Jersey, the Isle of Man and the UK, guidance on campaign finance from the Venice Commission and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, estimated costs for candidates of various campaign materials, and the benefits in kind provided by the States, including the combined manifesto booklet.

Other jurisdictions commonly offer a fixed level of support and then a pence contribution per voter.

Rebalanced for the Guernsey electorate, this comes out at between £7,500 – the level permitted for a UK borough council – to some £28,000 at Isle of Man rates.

‘Expenditure limits should be high enough to allow candidates to run their own personal campaigns and to communicate with the electorate in the way they feel would be most effective,’ said Sacc president Deputy Carl Meerveld.

‘Setting the limit lower than the estimated costs for candidates to produce and distribute their own personal, printed manifestos to all households on the electoral roll could reasonably be perceived as preventing candidates from running an effective campaign, particularly in light of the Venice Commission’s advice that expenditure limits should be based on “the costs for campaign materials and services”, as it should make allowances for potential candidates who may not wish to promote their campaigns through state-provided channels.’

Deputy Meerveld said that the £7,500 proposal did not reflect an increase in expenditure levels from 2020’s £6,000 but was just uprated by inflation.

‘In light of that, it has to be questioned whether it is appropriate that the current Assembly, each and every member of which was able to spend up to £6,000 (c. £7,500 at today’s prices), should decide that the next cohort should be subjected to expenditure limits that are indisputably lower in real terms, thus putting new candidates at a disadvantage when compared with incumbents who are restanding,’ he said.

‘The committee believes that it is akin to members of the current Assembly “pulling up the drawbridge behind them” if it lowers the expenditure limits now, potentially undermining the principles of fair competition and equal opportunity in elections, by disproportionately benefitting incumbents.’

The committee’s final proposal, to be debated next month, is for limits of £7,500 for individuals and £15,000 for political parties, with candidates being able to transfer up to half of their spending allowance to fund the party, provided that in total it does not exceed the £15,000 limit.

Committee members have admitted that their colleagues may not be pleased to the same proposal again.