The rules around holding a hustings event

Churches are charities and so are regulated by the Charity Commission in England and Wales.

During election periods, campaigning activities are also regulated by the Electoral Commission. Hustings are legitimate activities for churches during this period.

The same considerations apply to hustings for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections as for the Senedd elections. The regions for the Commissioners are geographically large, so for these hustings, it is particularly important to coordinate your intentions well in advance with other churches, faith groups or organisations, to avoid clashes or duplication.

If you are intending to hold hustings for multiple elections, you should hold them separately.

The Electoral Commission’s guidance on hosting a husting can be found at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/are-you-holding-a-hustings.

Charity law – England and Wales: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/speaking-out-guidance-on-campaigning-and-political-activity-by-charities-cc9