Street Collections Policy 2024

Overview

Street collections provide bona fide charities with an opportunity to gain income from the generosity of the general public through cash donations and have been a major source of fundraising activity for over 100 years.

Section 5 of the Police, Factories & c. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916, as amended, if adopted by a local authority, enables a local authority to regulate street collections through the making of regulations and by the issue of permits.

Such powers enable a local authority to, for example, regulate the number of street collections that might take place in a given area at the same time, ensures that collections are only conducted by legitimate organisations and enables the Council to regulate the behaviour of collectors to avoid nuisance and annoyance being caused to members of the public.

Why your views matter

The Council intends to adopt Regulations which will set out the powers the Council will deploy when regulating the issue of street collection permits. The Council also intends to adopt a Street Collections Policy, which is intended to provide guidance and assistance to applicants, officers and members as to how the Regulations should be applied, to ensure a consistency of approach.

We would like to see your comments on these proposals.

What happens next

If the Regulations are adopted by the Council, we will seek approval from the Secretary of State to bring them into effect as soon as possible.