Annual Estimate 2022-23			Electoral Commission, Wales
Senedd Costs			2022-23	Commentary
			£000s
Direct Costs (pay and non-pay)
	Electoral Administration
		Wales	308	This represents the Committee’s share of the costs of preparing for and supporting the delivery of the 2022 Local Government elections in Wales. This will include developing and delivering online guidance and providing resources for candidates and agents, Returning Officers/Electoral Registration Officers and electoral administrators.  We will use our performance standards in our engagement with ROs/EROs to support and challenge them on their delivery of electoral events and activities. We will work closely with the electoral community in Wales through the various stakeholder groups we manage, for example the Wales Electoral Coordination Board and Senedd Parties Panel. We will work closely with the Welsh Government to provide advice and expert opinion as electoral reforms, such as pilots, are developed. The Wales team will also provide resource and support for projects being led outside of Wales (e.g. on ending dual reporting) but with a direct impact on devolved elections. We will continue to fulfil our statutory responsibility by meeting the Welsh Language Standards set by the Welsh Language Commissioner and will lead and support the wider Commission to ensure that our commitments to the Welsh Language are upheld.
		Support	47	This represents the Committee's share of the cost of monitoring and supporting the work of Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers in Wales for 2022-23, including redeveloping and consulting on a new set of performance standards for Returning Officers, to be laid at the Senedd during the financial year.
		Guidance	44	This represents the Committee's share of the cost to support the Local Government Elections Wales 2022. We will provide advice in response to queries from Returning Officers/Electoral Registration Officers and electoral administrators throughout the year, but particularly before, during and after the election.
		New resource for devolved elections	93	This represents the costs of two staff members who will be employed to support the delivery of the Welsh Government and Senedd's extensive programme of electoral reform -  ensuring that this complex legislation is clear and workable - as well as furthering our education programme with voters, and in particular young people.
			492
	Legal
		Legal	115	This represents the Committee's share of the total cost of providing legal support to the Commission’s advice, guidance and regulation functions and real-time legal advice before, during and after the 2022 Local Government elections in Wales. It also includes supporting post-poll regulation and the development of any policy recommendations as well as providing general and on-going legal advice on Welsh legislation and support of the Commission’s functions as they relate to Wales (including registration, regulation, policy, electoral administration, governance, and compliance with Welsh Language Standards).
	Regulation
		Registration & reporting	41	This represents the Committee's share of the costs for the work associated with the statutory reports required from political parties in Wales, such as quarterly donations and loans reports, annual registration of party details and annual Statement of Account submission. The Wales team provides support to parties through each of these processes and we publish the financial data associated with these submissions.
		Monitoring & enforcement	39	This represents the Committee's share of the costs that are associated with compliance and enforcement work arising from parties and campaigners in Wales. Our monitoring work includes reviewing campaign activity, and carrying out enforcement work if required. The Commission works with regulated entities including parties, campaigners, candidates and elected members to ensure compliance with the rules in an effort to avoid having to take enforcement action. We also work closely with the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) within each Police Force area to provide advice and guidance during the election period. Our advice services are available to all regulated entities and stakeholders.
				As part of our monitoring and enforcement, we are working with Senedd officials to bring an end to dual reporting in Wales. Currently, MS' have to report certain donations and loans twice, to both the Senedd and to the Electoral Commission. Bringing dual reporting to an end, as has been the case in both Westminster and the Scottish Parliament, will relieve the administrative burden of elected members having to report the same donation or loan twice to two different bodies.
		Regulatory support	30	This represents the Committee's share of the costs associated with developing spending, donations and post-poll reporting guidance for the 2022 Local Government elections in Wales. As part of this work, we provide candidates and agents with training sessions prior to elections, that take place at party conferences, local authority candidate sessions and bespoke Commission seminars, to ensure high levels of compliance with the rules.
				The Wales team also provides advice and guidance to candidates and agents prior to elections, which will include the 2022 Local Government elections in Wales, and we provide the same advice service to parties, campaigners and elected members year round.
	Communication, policy & research		225
		Campaigns & Corp Identity	126	This represents the Committee's share of the costs of the Commission's campaigns team based on our estimate of how their time will be spent. We will run two public awareness campaigns ahead of the 2022 Local Government elections in Wales - our 'Got 5?' voter registration campaign and our 'Welcome to Your Vote' franchise campaign for 16/17 year olds. These costs cover working with our media buyer and social media advertising during two weeks of campaign activity in 2022-23, alongside collating data and completing a final evaluation report post-campaign. We will also undertake partnership work with a range of democratic and third sector organisations across Wales, encouraging them engage with our campaign, voter information and education materials to ensure they reach newly enfranchised, under-registered and disengaged groups.
		Digital communication & learning	61	This represents the Committee's share of the costs of the Commission's digital communications and learning team based on our estimate of how their time will be spent. This covers building on our existing political literacy work by developing our education resources to cover more Wales specific content, taking into account the wider educational context in Wales including changes to the national curriculum in 2022; the extension of the franchise to 16-17 year olds and the 2022 Local Government elections in Wales. We will also undertake consultancy work with a variety of teachers, youth organisations and young people across Wales to get their feedback and input on our resources to ensure they are effective and fit for purpose.
		External communications	59	This represents the Committee's share of the costs of the Commission's external communications team (press office and public affairs) based on our estimate of how their time will be spent. This covers handling reactive press and public affairs enquiries; carrying out proactive media engagement during our campaign period and for routine regulatory publications and Commission reports and preparing for meetings with Members of the Senedd. Press office and public affairs support will be increased for activity relating to the Welsh Government electoral reform agenda, such as pilots.
		Research	67	This represents the Committee's share of the costs of the Commission's research team based on our estimate of how their time will be spent. This covers a programme of research around the 2022 Local Government elections in Wales likely to include; annual public attitudes surveying; data collection on accuracy and completeness of electoral registers, surveying of candidates and gathering feedback from EROs, ROs and electoral administrators.
		Policy	62	This represents the Committee's share of the costs of the Commission's policy team based on our estimate of how their time will be spent. This covers analysis and reporting on the 2022 Local Government elections in Wales to identify trends and issues for consideration by policymakers and drawing together evidence and analysis from across other parts of the UK and internationally to inform our positions on specific proposals from Welsh Government.
			375
Total direct Costs			1092
Indirect Costs
		Resource	252	5% of back office costs, including rent, rates, ICT, finance, HR and management costs
		Depreciation	75	5% of the depreciation for capital expenditure, including upgrading of the Political finance and other systems
			327
Total indirect Costs			327
Total contribution			1,419