2025-2026 Certification Officer Annual Report: Key Insights and Highlights

The Annual Report from the Certification Officer, Stephen Hardy, was presented to Parliament on 2nd July 2026. This document highlights the activities of the Certification Officer during the year 2025/26 and includes crucial statistical data regarding trade unions and employers’ associations for the period of 2024-2025.

Updates on Trade Union and Employers’ Association Lists

The Certification Officer is responsible for maintaining official listings of trade unions and employers’ associations. In the latest update, three organisations were officially added to the trade union list, bringing the total to 131. In contrast, the number of employers’ associations remained unchanged at 36, indicating a stable environment in that sector.

Trends in Trade Union Membership and Financial Health

Trade union membership saw a significant decline of 19.4%, dropping from 6.7 million in 2023-2024 to 5.4 million in 2024-2025. This decrease is largely attributed to the absence of membership figures submitted by Unite the Union for the latter reporting period, despite the previous year’s data being available.

In terms of financial standing, the total assets of trade unions decreased by 1.3%, falling from £2.30 billion to £2.27 billion. Conversely, total funds reported by trade unions increased to £1.98 billion, reflecting a 4.76% rise from the £1.89 billion reported the previous year.

Political Fund Insights and Changes

Among the 21 trade unions that manage political funds, 19 have submitted their annual financial returns. The total held within these political funds amounted to £29.4 million, representing a decline of 17.88% when compared to the previous year, during which 20 unions provided data.

Handling of Complaints from Union Members

The Certification Officer addressed a total of 46 complaints from union members, a notable increase from the 13 complaints received in the prior year. Out of these, two complaints were withdrawn by the members and four were dismissed. Of the remaining 40 complaints that proceeded to hearings, seven were upheld, resulting in two enforcement orders issued by the Certification Officer, while 33 complaints were dismissed.

Additionally, one financial penalty order was issued concerning a complaint from a member who alleged that his trade union failed to grant him access to its accounting records.

Legislative Changes Under the Employment Rights Act 2025

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduced amendments that restored the powers of the Certification Officer to their pre-2016 state. Key changes included the removal of the obligation for trade unions to disclose information on industrial actions and detailed political spending in their annual returns.

This legislative update also reinstated the Certification Officer’s authority to identify breaches of statutory provisions and investigate trade unions’ non-compliance without needing a member’s complaint beforehand. Furthermore, the Certification Officer regained the ability to impose an annual levy on trade unions and employers’ associations to fund the discharge of his responsibilities.

For unions with political funds, the new legislation allows new members to be treated as having automatically opted in to contribute to the political fund unless they submit an opt-out notice.

Additional Information for Editors

The Certification Officer serves as the independent regulator for trade unions and is appointed by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Stephen Hardy, who took office on 1st October 2025, succeeded Sarah Bedwell, who retired after holding the position since 2017. Michael Kidd served as the interim Certification Officer from 1st June 2025 until 30th September 2025.

All statistics mentioned are derived from the Annual Returns submitted by organisations during the reporting year.

For any press inquiries, please contact info@certoffice.org.