Brighton by-election expenses published

One of the candidates in the recent Hanover and Elm Grove by-election in Brighton spent £86.26 on his campaign.

The Brighton and Hove Independent newspaper published the candidates’ official expenses and described Conservative Robert Knight’s total as “barely the price of a good meal out for two”.

The newspaper added: “Unsurprisingly perhaps, he came third with just 275 votes.

“Official figures show that Emma Daniel, the victorious Labour Party candidate, spent £1,171.70 – just within the legal limit of £1,202 – and got 1,396 votes.

Councillor Emma Daniel

Her closest rival – the Green Party’s David Gibson – was even closer to the expenses limit, spending £1,199.38 in the closely-fought by-election on July 11, when he got 1,358 votes.

“Patricia Mountain, for UKIP, spent £313 and received 250 votes, while Phil Clarke, of Trade Unionists Against The Cuts, spent £510.16 and received 172 votes – bringing the total for all candidates to £3,280.50.

“The sixth candidate – Lev Eakins, for the Liberal Democrats – has yet to file his expenses, apparently putting himself in breach of rules that require the paperwork to be completed within 35 days of the election.”

The Brighton and Hove Independent quoted an official from the electoral services office at Brighton and Hove City Council as saying: “It is overdue. We have chased them several times. But the ball is now in their court to get them to us.”

When approached by the free weekly newspaper for its piece on the price of politics, Mr Eakins said: “This is the first I have heard of it. My agent told me he posted it some time ago.”

So how much did he spend? “It’s a round number,” Mr Eakins said. “The roundest number there is: a big fat zero. We’re keeping our powder dry for more fertile ground for Liberal Democrats.”

The newspaper added that Mr Eakins had later spoken to his agent – “a student who had never been an agent before and has since moved house”.

Mr Eakins said: “I have spoken to the electoral services office and they are sending out the paperwork again. There’s no conspiracy. It’s a cock-up.”