The Data (Use and Access) Bill was given royal assent on 19th June and so is now law.
However, on the recently created ICO pages https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/what-we-do/our-plans-for-new-and-updated-guidance/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/ where it mentions its response, they suggest we need to wait until Winter 2025/26 for any guidance.
Realistically, charities cannot change the way in which they operate and take advantage of Soft Opt-In until the ICO has issued its guidance (though there is still much you should do now to get ready).
And waiting until at least the winter is simply not good enough. The shape of the Bill has been known for months, and so why has the ICO not been ready with guidance as soon as it became law?
The Data and Marketing Association has suggested that the changes are worth £290 million per year to the charity sector – see https://dma.org.uk/article/dma-letter-to-secretary-of-state-peter-kyle-on-behalf-of-the-charity-sector. Based on this, each month the ICO delays its guidance is costing the sector £24 million.
If you feel like commenting on the delays to the ICO, their contact page is at https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/.