Lobbying act regulated period for 2015 general election begins

The first pre-election campaigning period regulated under the lobbying act started on Friday 19 September.

The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 became law in January.

In the run-up to elections, charities spending more than £20,000 in England or £10,000 in other parts of the UK on particular "regulated activities" must register with the Electoral Commission as non-party campaigners.

Regulated activities include media events, the production of election materials and canvassing that can "reasonably be regarded as intended to influence voters to vote for or against political parties or categories of candidates, including political parties or categories of candidates who support or do not support particular policies or issues", according to the Electoral Commission's guidance.

The first regulated period, shorter than it will be in future to give the Electoral Commission time to draw up its guidance, will run until the general election, which is scheduled to take place on 7 May 2015.

Thereafter the regulated period will be 12 months before general elections and four months before elections to the EU parliament or the devolved governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Registration is open until election day itself. Charities that do spend more than the threshold on regulated activities are not required to register with the commission before they actually spend the money.

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