Page 32 - Spring Summer 2026

FST Newsletter Issue 57: July 2026
• The organisation is a charity.
• The charity obtained the recipient’s contact
details.
• The charity did this through the person expressing
an interest in, or offering or providing support for,
its charitable purposes.
• The sole purpose of your direct marketing is to
further the charity’s charitable purposes.
• The recipient was provided with an opportunity to
refuse or opt out when their contact details were
collected.
• The recipient is given an opportunity to refuse or
opt out in every subsequent communication.
The Fundraising Regulator has published
complementary guidance designed to help charitable
fundraising organisations follow the Code of Fundraising
Practice and the law.
Read the guidance: ICO; Fundraising Regulator
Criminal liability for offences by senior managers
Section 250 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 (CAPA)
came into force on 29 June 2026.
It introduces a new offence that affects corporates,
partnerships and charities, and expands the senior
manager provisions in the Economic Crime and
Corporate Transparency Act 2023. Under CAPA,
organisations will be criminally liable if a senior manager
commits any criminal offence while acting within
the actual or apparent scope of their authority. This
does not mean the senior manager needs to have
been authorised to carry out the criminal conduct. It
is sufficient if the act was a type of act that the senior
manager was authorised to undertake, or which would
ordinarily be undertaken by someone in that position. A
‘senior manager’ is anyone who plays a significant role
in:
• decision-making about how the whole or a
substantial part of an organisation’s activities are
to be managed or organised; or
• the actual managing or organising of the whole or
a substantial part of those activities.
Read more: VWV
Martyn’s Law (The Terrorism (Protection of
Premises) Act 2025)
Martyn’s Law introduces new statutory duties that will
impact charities that operate venues or host public
events.
It puts a new duty on ‘responsible persons’ who are
either in charge of certain premises to which the public
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have access, or in charge of events open to the public,
to consider how they would respond to a terrorist
attack and put in place appropriate measures and
procedures to limit the harm such an attack might
cause. Charities that operate publicly accessible venues
or events with capacity for 200 or more people will be
required to assess, plan for, and mitigate, the risk of
terrorism. What duties will be in place depends on the
number of people expected to be present at a premises
or event at the same time. Although Martyn’s Law is
not expected to come into force fully until April 2027,
charities are being encouraged start preparing now – for
example, by carrying out risk assessments, mapping
premises and events, and developing practical, scalable
procedures for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, and
communication.
Read more: Mills & Reeve
Draft Code of Practice on applying the Equality Act
2010 published
On 21 May, the Government published a draft Code of
Practice for services, public functions and associations.
The Code provides statutory guidance on applying the
Equality Act 2010 for service providers, associations and
those exercising public functions in England, Scotland
and Wales. The draft Code is not yet in force, but has
been updated following the Supreme Court judgment
in 2025 which held that, for the purposes of the Equality
Act 2010: “sex means biological sex and that trans
people are still protected by the Act under the protected
characteristic of gender reassignment.” The draft Code is
intended to provide workable guidance to help providers
make “practical, and ultimately sensible decisions for
everyday scenarios, such as toilet provision.” The Charity
Commission has said it will publish its own guidance
for charities on applying the new code in light of charity
law, as quickly as possible after the draft Code clears
parliament. Until then, it has advised charities to assess
the implications of the draft Code for their activities and
take any legal advice that might be needed.
Read the draft Code of Practice: Gov.uk
Charity Commission Northern Ireland –
registration threshold guidance
The Charity Commission Northern Ireland has
published an information leaflet to help small charities
prepare for upcoming changes to the financial
threshold for registering with the Commission.
Once the registration threshold comes into effect,
charities with annual income of £20,000 or less, and
assets of £100,000 or less, will not have to register or
submit annual reports and accounts to the Commission.
Charities may still decide to register with the
Commission, even if they are below the threshold. The
threshold is not yet in force, so all charities must continue
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FST Newsletter Issue 57: July 2026
to register as usual - the Commission is providing early £30k as part of a wider £155k fraud.
guidance to help organisations prepare for the changes
She also stole £125k from the Long Crendon Community
ahead.
Social Club. Young had been recommended to the
Read the leaflet charity by a mutual friend. She had a previous fraud
conviction, but this was not picked up as the charity did
not carry out a background check.
Charity Commission publishes its first ever
Charity Sector Risk Assessment Read more: Civil Society News
The Charity Commission has published its first-ever risk
assessment for the charity sector.
It aims to identify systemic risks that could affect
charities’ ability to deliver their aims and/or public
trust in the sector. Key risks identified include financial
resilience, risks to public benefit (e.g. through deliberate
abuse of charitable status or lack of knowledge among
charity personnel), and risks relating to governance,
safeguarding and fraud.
Read the assessment: Gov.uk National
National
NATIONAL
Electronics
Electronics
Competition
Competition
Changes to accounts filing requirements for ELECTRONICS
charitable companies to come into force in 2028
The government has announced that delayed changes COMPETITION
to accounts filing through Companies House, affecting
charitable companies, will come into effect in 2028. Entries Entries National Electronics
National Electronics
Competition
Competition
The changes require all organisations to file accounts in The benefits to you: An exclusive competition for students of
The benefits to you:
a digital format. This will apply to companies that file their • Learn how to write a technical paper An exclusive competition for students
• Learn how to write a technical paper
An exclusive competition for students
Arkwright affiliated Schools.
• Have your project promoted in an of Arkwright affiliated Schools.
of Arkwright affiliated Schools.
• Have your project promoted in an
Institution publication
own accounts and those that use third-party agents or • Be in with a chance of winning The Institution of Electronics was founded in 1930.
Institution publication
The Institution of Electronics was founded in 1930.
• Be in with a chance of winning
a category award
After a period of relative inactivity the Institution is partnering the
After a period of relative inactivity the Institution is partnering the
accountants to file them. Small and micro companies a category award This competition will give the Institution the
Arkwright Scholarships Trust to rejuvenate its membership with the
Arkwright Scholarships Trust to rejuvenate its membership with the
• Join the Institution of Electronics
• Join the Institution of Electronics
and help guide its future development ’brightest and best’ future leaders of UK electronics and to provide
’brightest and best’ future leaders of UK electronics and to provide
and help guide its future development
will no longer be able to prepare and file abridged chance to champion the cause of young
benefit to the UK’s electronics education and industry.
benefit to the UK’s electronics education and industry.
This competition will give the Institution the chance to champion the
people pursuing electronics projects within the
accounts. The changes will not affect charitable Entry requirements: Entry requirements: This competition will give the Institution the chance to champion the
cause of young people pursuing electronics projects within the
cause of young people pursuing electronics projects within the
• Applicants must attend an Arkwright-affiliated school,
curriculum, extra-curricular and at home.
• Applicants must attend an Arkwright-affiliated school,
but applicants do not have to be Arkwright Engineering curriculum, extra-curricular and at home.
but applicants do not have to be Arkwright Engineering
incorporated organisations (CIOs), which only file with Scholars curriculum, extra-curricular and at home.
Applicants become student members of the Institution and will
Applicants become student members of the Institution and will
Scholars
be invited to join the task-force that will plan the next phase of the
be invited to join the task-force that will plan the next phase of the
• Applicants must complete a project where electronics ion’s development as an incubator for future leaders of
sector regulators including the Charity Commission. • Applicants must complete a project where electronics Institut Institution’s development as an incubator for future leaders of
are integral to its successful function
are integral to its successful function
the electronics industry.
the electronics industry.
Applicants become student members of the
• Application is free to students holding student
• Application is free to students holding student
Read more: Civil Society News membership of the Institution of Electronics
membership of the Institution of Electronics
Institution and will be invited to join the task-force
• Applicants must report on their project using a
What to do next?
• Applicants must report on their project using a What to do next?
simplified ‘Technical Paper’ format and a two-minute
simplified ‘Technical Paper’ format and a two-minute
video
video
that will plan the next phase of the Institution’s
Entry categories: development as an incubator for future leaders
• Read the application guidelines on the next page
• Read the application guidelines on the next page
Entry categories:
• Read the example technical paper
UK Biobank refers itself to ICO after data found on 1. Any student -Year 11 (England & Wales), • Read the example technical paper
• Complete your electronics project
1. Any student -Year 11 (England & Wales),
• Complete your electronics project
of the electronics industry.
S4 (Scotland), Year 12 (Northern Ireland) • Complete your technical paper and video
S4 (Scotland), Year 12 (Northern Ireland)
• Complete your technical paper and video
Chinese consumer website 2. Any student -Year 12 & 13 (England & Wales), • Post the video to YouTube
• Post the video to YouTube
2. Any student -Year 12 & 13 (England & Wales),
S5 & S6 (Scotland), Year 13 & 14 (Northern Ireland)
• Submit your application to the Institution by email
3. Arkwright Scholars S5 & S6 (Scotland), Year 13 & 14 (Northern Ireland) • Submit your application to the Institution by email
• Ensure you hold current membership of the Institution of Electronics
3. Arkwright Scholars
• Ensure you hold current membership of the Institution of Electronics
Health charity UK Biobank has referred itself to the 4. Arkwright alumni in 1st / 2nd year of an
undergraduate degree
4. Arkwright alumni in 1st / 2nd year of an
undergraduate degree
ICO after de-identified participant data downloaded Registered Charity No. 1091988 - Registered in England & Wales No. 4401993
Registered Charity No. 1091988 - Registered in England & Wales No. 4401993
by three Chinese academic institutions was found
advertised for sale on an e-commerce platform owned
by Chinese company Alibaba.
UK Biobank notified the UK government, which worked
with the Chinese government and Alibaba to ensure
that the listings were quickly taken down. UK Biobank
is putting additional security measures in place and
conducting an investigation into the incident.
Read more: Civil Society News
Former charity treasurer jailed after £30k theft
A former treasurer and accountant of the Long Crendon
Village Association, Charlotte Young, has been
sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after stealing
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