It is illegal in this Country to hold a Street Collection to collect money or sell articles for the benefit of charitable or other purposes without obtaining a Street Collection Permit from the Council if that collection is to be held 'in a street or public place'. A 'public place' is a 'place where the public has access'.
It is often assumed that collections can be held in shop doorways or car parks do not need a Street Collection Permit because they are being held on 'privately owned land'. This is not correct, as the Legislation does not mention the ownership of the land or treat collections on 'privately owned land' as exempt from the licensing regulations. A shop doorway or car park, when that shop is open for trading, is a 'public place' because the public has access at that time. No other licence would be valid. A Pedlars Licence, issued by the Police cannot be used for this purpose. Only Councils issue Street Collection Permits under Section 5 of the Police, Factories, etc., (Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1916, as amended by the Local Government Act 1972 and Schedule 29 of that Act).
There is no cost for the issuing of consent but there are rules to be followed in applying:
- Street collections are usually made by Charities.
- Collections usually take place in a town centre on busy shopping days.
- Money is collected in sealed containers.
- There are regulations, which governs this type of collection.
- Consents are restricted to enable charities to raise money without their collections clashing with those of other charities.
- The purpose of the legal requirement to obtain consent is to ensure collectors are properly authorised and that money is collected in a secure way and the total proceeds collected are properly accounted for.
Following a collection, the promoter of the collection must make a return to the Council or alternatively it can be made online on the Businesslink website.
A copy of the Police, Factories, etc (Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1916) can be viewed at the Council Offices where you can obtain an application form and a copy of our standard conditions. Details listed below:
Contact Details:
Licensing Services
New Forest District Council
Appletree Court Lyndhurst
SO43 7PA
Tel No: 023 80285505
E-mail: licensing@nfdc.gov.uk
Alternatively you may apply online on the Businesslink website.
