Can someone sensecheck my figures here? I tried to work out how much money Sunak would have wasted by calling the election for July instead of bundling it in with the May local elections. I can only find comparable figures for the costs of the 2015 general election and 2016 PCC local elections.
2016 PCC Elections
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... ctions.pdfTotal: £49,598,266.34
£47.4 million for Returning Officers'expenses
£2 million for Returning Officers' services
£0.2 million payment for the printing and postage of candidate booklets requested via thechoosemypcc.org.uk website and the free phone number provided
2015 General Election
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... ection.pdfTotal: £114,732,548
£2.44 million for Returning Officers' services;
£70.44 million for Returning Officers' expenses;
£0.24 million for postal vote 'sweeps
£41.61 million for delivery of candidate mailings
So given that the returning officers expenses and services could have been combined into one election, I make that at least £50 million he's wasted. And bare in mind these figures are like ten years old and before a period of record inflation. Certainly feels like a journalist should be asking this question to government.