{"value":{"id":1925149,"askingMemberId":5100,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2026-07-07T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2026-07-13T00:00:00","uin":"16692","questionText":"To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the forthcoming Clacton by-election.","answeringBodyId":7,"answeringBodyName":"Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":true,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":4976,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2026-07-14T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>The estimated cost of the Clacton by-election is set out in <a href=\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/693/schedule/made\" target=\"_blank\">The Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers’ Charges) Order 2024.</a></p><p> </p><p>The average (mean) cost of a UK parliamentary by-election between 2021 and 2025 was approximately £343,768, including candidate mailing costs. This figure is estimated from final settled expenditure where available and claimed expenditure for by-elections where the claims process has not yet been completed.</p><p> </p><p>Expenditure accounts for the 2026 parliamentary by-elections have not yet been received from the relevant Returning Officers.</p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"Elections: Local Government","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1925149","method":"GET"}]}