Yes vote cost seven times more than a No

Ross Smith, The Journal

Each yes vote in the North-East assembly referendum cost campaigners more than seven times as much as a no vote, spending figures revealed yesterday.

The Electoral Commission published the amount spent by registered campaign groups in the run-up to the autumn poll.

It showed groups calling for a no vote spent £201,422. That included £142,900 spent by the official North East Says No campaign, £100,000 of which was a grant from public money.

Its most notable purchase was a £1,000 giant white elephant, which campaigners were only able to hang on to after the campaign once they proved they had paid for it from their own funds, rather than the £100,000 grant.

The North East No Campaign, led by Neil Herron, spent £28,270, the Conservative Party paid £30,243.

Meanwhile, the yes side spent at least £414,510, including £124,126 from the Labour Party.

Trade unions contributed £36,790.

The official yes lobby, Yes4theNorthEast, has not yet filed its campaign expenses, indicating it spent more than £250,000, meaning it has a later deadline.

It means that each of the 696,519 no votes cost 29p, the 197,310 yes votes at least £2.10.