Learn more about parliamentary candidates in your area

Even if your charity doesn’t campaign or isn’t doing anything public during the election, there are important things happening with the General Election that could affect even very local charities in the coming weeks and months. 

Here are some things to know and look out for as we move through the next phases of the campaign: 

1. Boundary changes 

The geographical boundaries for MPs’ constituencies are reviewed periodically to adjust to changing population, to ensure that one MP’s constituency reflects roughly the same number of people. A major boundary review was finalised last year and is now in place for the 2024 General Election. The previous boundaries had been in place for over a decade, so the changes resulting from this review are substantial – most constituencies have been affected. It’s possible that your charity could find itself in a different constituency after maps have been redrawn – you can find out by checking the interactive map at the House of Commons website. 

2. Many MPs are stepping down 

Many MPs have not stood for re-election this time, and many familiar faces and established figures will not be part of the next parliament. 132 MPs didn’t stand for re-election, including a former Prime Minister, current and former ministers, and many experienced back bench MPs. Even some of the major political parties are finding it difficult to field candidates in every constituency because the timing of the election announcement was unexpected. The turnover might pose a short-term difficulty if your charity had a good relationship with your previous MP, but on the other hand, new people could bring fresh energy, different experience, and new possibilities.  

3. Prospective parliamentary candidates finalised 

Political parties had until 7 June to submit paperwork to the Electoral Commission for their candidates to stand in constituencies, known as ‘prospective parliamentary candidates’. Bizarrely, there’s no official centralised public list of candidates, but you can find out who is on the ballot in your area by checking with your local authority (find details via the Electoral Commission website). It’s worth looking into the various candidates for example to see if you or your trustees know them or if they have any charity interests. Also, the Community Interest Company ‘Democracy Club’ has published a list of candidates by constituency, which you can access here.  

4. More guidance from the Charity Commission 

The Charity Commission has just released some brief guidance for parliamentary candidates which should also be really useful for charities to refer to if they are going to interact with candidates during the election campaign. It’s in a Q&A format and covers issues such as parties using charity premises to host events, hosting meetings and attending events with candidates. If you’re planning any meetings or other interactions with candidates during the election campaign, take a look at this guidance and share it with them so they’re aware. 

 Stay tuned to DSC for more analysis and top tips 

DSC has put together a resources hub webpage which gathers together all our General Election related content and analysis, so check it periodically for the latest information, including analysis of the party manifestos.