Healey tops election bills league

The Labour MP spent more than £11,200 to secure the Wentworth and Dearne seat—£6,550 in the four weeks before the May vote. CAMPAIGNING John Healey splashed the most cash out of the borough’s 16 general election 2010 candidates.

According to figures from the Electoral Commission, the next highest spender was Conservative Lynda Donaldson, whose £10,882 spend secured a five per cent swing in Rother Valley. She finished second to Labour’s Kevin Barron, who spent £4,450.

Victorious Denis MacShane put £4,700 into his Rotherham constituency campaign. The lowest individual spend was by Rebecca Taylor in Rotherham (£383), while fellow Liberal Democrat Wesley Paxton spent nothing at all in the Rother Valley.

The full is of totals is: Rother Valley: Kevin Barron (Lab) £4,450; Will Blair (BNP) £800; Lynda Donaldson (Con) £10,882; Tina Dowdall (UKIP) £1,425; Wesley Paxton (LD) £0. Rotherham: Marlene Guest (BNP) £400; Denis MacShane (Lab) £4,700; Rebecca Taylor (LD) £383; Peter Thirlwall (Ind) £1,102; Caven Vines (UKIP) £500; Jackie Whiteley (Con) £2,000. Wentworth and Dearne: William Baldwin (BNP) £400; Michelle Donelan (Con) £6,384; John Healey (Lab) £11,214; Nicholas Love (LD) £811; John Wilkinson (UKIP) £3,048.

Nationally, 4,150 candidates spent more than £25 million. The average was £6,259.