The Public Relations Consultants Association has joined calls for clarity about how the Lobbying Act will impact non-party campaigners.
The Association’s not for profit and charity group yesterday wrote to the Electoral Commission saying "fundamental questions" remain about how the new rules will affect the work of charity campaigners and PRs.
Last month the Electoral Commission published 292 pages of guidance on the Transparency of Lobbying, Non Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014, which gained royal assent in January.
Concerns about the clarity of the Electoral Commission’s guidance on the Lobbying Act have also been raised by the charity chief executives body Acevo and the charity law firm Bates Wells Braithwaite.
The Act introduces new rules, which come into force on 19 September, expanding the current regime regulating spending by non-party campaigners in the run-up to elections. It limits spending on a wider range of campaigning activities that could be seen as intending to influence voters at elections.
The PRCA has called for a response to its questions by 19 August to give the charities, PR agencies, in-house teams and freelancers it represents enough time to prepare for the regulations coming into force.
Simon Francis, director at the PR and digital communications agency Claremont and vice-chair of the PRCA’s not for profit and charity group, said: “It’s of huge concern to in-house teams, agencies and freelancers alike that with just weeks to go before non-party campaigner regulations come into force, there are still fundamental questions that remain unanswered about the impact of the Lobbying Act.
“The concerns the PRCA’s members have raised range from fundamental questions about what is covered, to the extent to which spending limits apply to staff or volunteer activity, and into the detail of how any spending should be reported.
“While the general advice to PRs is to keep calm and keep campaigning, the industry needs to be aware that the Lobbying Act does not just have an impact on lobbyists.
“All PRs need to ensure they will not fall foul of these highly complex and bureaucratic regulations.”
A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said: “The PRCA has only just written to us with their queries and we will be responding to them shortly.
“We have produced a range of guidance for campaigners to help them both understand the law and what they need to do to comply with it. This includes working with the UK’s charity regulators to create guidance aimed specifically at charities.
“We have already run webinars and attended meetings, where large numbers of voluntary organisations have been present, to help potential campaigners understand the rules and we will continue to do this over the coming weeks.”
