Charities could be denied access to the edited electoral register, used to target and verify donors, according to the Institute of Fundraising.

The Institute is concerned that the Ministry of Justice, which closed a public consultation into the use of the edited electoral register in February, is set to ignore sector considerations and abolish the register entirely.

Director of policy and campaigns Louise Richards told Fundraising, “The indications coming from the Ministry of Justice is that they’re ignoring responses put in by people like ourselves and just going down the road of listening to the school of thought which says the thing should be abolished.”

She said that the Institute is concerned that the changes may get passed via the back door, without further debate.  

“The only people who seem to be pushing for its abolition is the Association of Electoral Administrators,” she said.

She said that the Institute’s members and PFRA believe the register is essential to charities being able to target direct mail more effectively, clean up databases and validate donor details.

She said that accusations that the register allows for increases in cold mailing were inaccurate. “That’s not the main use of it,” she said. “If it wasn’t there, it could actually increase junk mail.”

The Ministry of Justice, meanwhile, is still limited by the rules of purdah in discussing developments. A spokesman for the ministry could only say: “all of the views put forward will be taken into account before considering next steps.”