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The States Assembly & Constitution Committee isn’t planning to budge on its electoral policies despite political opposition.
The Committee faces at least two challenges to its election policy letter with attempts to stop proposed increases to the personal and party campaign spending cap and another seeking to ensure a £500 grant is kept in place.
There are also rumblings that SACC’s plans to reform the trigger for island-wide by elections – from one vacancy to three – will face opposition inside the States chamber next week.
SACC members were unanimously opposed to the amendments this week but agreed they weren't worth “dying in a ditch” over.
An official advised that it would be odd to reduce campaign spending limits in real terms, while noting that most candidates in 2020 spent under the cap.
SACC has proposed increasing the personal spending cap from £6,000 to £7,500, and the party cap from £9,000 to £15,000 subject to States approval.
But there's an attempt to keep the personal cap at £6,000 and increase the party cap by a more modest amount, to £12,000.
President Deputy Carl Meerveld said it was “logical” for the limits to keep pace with inflation.
“It doesn't seem appropriate to reduce effectively in real terms the amount people can spend,” he said.
Pictured: The States will finalise details for the 2025 election next week.
Deputy Peter Roffey, who is leading the amendment to stop cap increases, previously told Express that the increases as proposed were “obscenely high” and said this is the sentiment of several other deputies.
SACC will also lay out its arguments of why the £500 grant should be removed, with Deputy Lester Queripel looking to make the case for keeping it in place.
Deputy Gavin St Pier said the previous Committee “reached the same conclusion” and that the government shouldn’t incentivise the cohort size of candidates with claimable cash.
Deputy Yvonne Burford said under island-wide voting “with the materials provided they can stand for free”, rather than having to raise any money for production or distribution themselves.
This was echoed by Deputy Simon Fairclough who noted that candidates still would have to find the £500 themselves before claiming it back for relevant items such as leaflets. An official added that the States has taken over this under new voting system as sending a manifesto to over 30,000 households is prohibitively expensive.
There were also concerns that the amendment to keep the grant made no reference to its appropriate use, which is limited to specific campaign expenses rather than general spending.
The States sit from 22 May.
“Obscenely high” election spending uplift faces opposition
Deputies challenge States to keep election grant in place
Political parties could benefit from £6k uplift in campaign spending
Discussions to increase personal and party campaign spending
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