General election expenses revealed
Figures show costs of battleground campaign
Candidates racked up thousands of pounds in expenses in order to secure your vote in the run-up to last month’s general election.
The two leading frontrunners in the Perth and North Perthshire seat, Ian Duncan of the Tories and the SNP’s Pete Wishart, submitted expenses in excess of £20,000 after they fought to secure the key battleground.
Mr Duncan, who narrowed the SNP winner’s majority to 21 votes, led the expenses with a total spend of £13,878.44.
And Mr Wishart racked up £9779.12 during the short campaign, which saw the respective parties’ big guns Ruth Davidson and Nicola Sturgeon out to support their candidates, and ended with a dramatic night of recounts in Perth.
Details of all four Perth and North Perthshire candidates’ election expenses have now been made public for the all- Conservative Ian Duncan, Labour’s David Roemmele, returning officer Bernadette Malone, chief executive of Perth and KInross Council, Pete Wishart MP and Lib Dem Peter Barrett male list of Wishart, Duncan, based on a formula involving Conservatives spent almost the Lib Dems’ Peter Barrett and the number of electors in the £11,000 on unsolicited mail. Labour’s David Romoelle. seat. Broken down, the figures All were well within the set Newly appointed Lord show the Tories also turned to limit of £15,064.08, which is Ian Duncan and his local social media, with a Facebook advert for Mr Duncan worth a reported £272.
Mr Duncan’s bid spent more than £967 on advertising, £551 on agents and £1406.45 on accommodation costs.
And fierce rival Mr Wishart’s election submission also recorded £11,250 in donations.
Mr Wishart’s near £10k figure was based on advertising worth £2587.78. A similar amount was spent on accommodation. A further sum of nearly £4300 was also listed for the campaign team’s unsolicited mail.
The pair’s figures were well ahead of other candidates.
Mr Barrett, who gained 5 per cent of the vote with 2589 backing him, spent a reported £1018.92, with unsolicited mailshots worth £974.06 and accommodation worth £44.86.
Mr Roemelle, who came third with 10 per cent of the vote, reported his campaign spent more than £910, broken down to about £235 on advertising, £572 on unsolicited mail and transport of about £54.