Election counts

Michael Bloomberg — the ninth richest person in America — entered the US presidential race by buying $34 million (£26 million) worth of advertising just to launch his campaign. How does that compare with what British political parties are allowed to spend in the general election?
— In Britain, each party is allowed to spend, centrally, £30,000 for each constituency fought. With 650 constituencies, this amounts to a maximum of £19.5 million.
— In addition, individual candidates can spend £8,700 plus 6p per voter (in urban boroughs) or 9p per voter (in county constituencies).
— Put the two together and it means there is an effective maximum level of spending of just under £30 million per party.
— In the US, there are limits on individual donations but no limit on overall spend. In 2016, Hillary Clinton spent approximately $800 million and Donald Trump around $400 million.

Cost of caring

The Conservative party’s manifesto failed to include an expected policy for funding long-term care. How much does long-term care cost and how much is met from the public purse?
— In 2017, long-term care cost £48.2 billion, out of total healthcare spending of £197.4 billion.
— The £48.2 billion is divided into two parts: health-related long-term care and social-related long-term care.
—In 2017, government met 66% of the
cost of health-related care, with 31% paid by individuals and 3% by charities.
— As for social-related long-term care, 48% was met by government, 40% from the non-profit sector and 12% by individuals.
Source: ONS

Building hopes

Labour promised to build 100,000 council homes a year by 2023/24, up from 2,240 in the year to June. Which local authorities built the most council homes?

Newcastle on Tyne – 210
Camden – 160
Nottingham – 100
Hounslow, Islington – 90

No council homes at all were built in 26 out of 33 London boroughs, three out of six metropolitan counties and 16 out of 27 shire counties.
Source: Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government