Charitable Collections
A Permit or Licence is required from the Council for any Street or House to House collections of cash, clothing or other assorted items.
Street Collections
A Street Collections Permit is required from the Council if the collection is for charitable or similar purposes. The Council will vet the suitability of the applicant and will check that the monies collected will go to the stated recipient of the collection. Consideration will also be given to the number of other collections taking place on the appropriate date and to the location of the collection when we consider issuing any street collection permit.
Please be aware that those agencies carrying out Direct Debit Collections or Data Collections do not require a licence from the authority, although most charities will inform the Council of their presence in the area as a matter of good practice. These collections will be included on the Register where possible.
There is no fee payable for this service.
House to House collections
A House to House Collections Licence is required from the Council in order to undertake a house to house collection under the House to House Collections Act 1939.
House to house collections would include collections in public houses, factories and offices as well as residential premises if collecting money or goods on the basis that part of the proceeds will go to a charity. It would also include leaving an envelope to be collected at a later date. These collections are for any charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purpose.
A few large charities will hold a National Exemption Order (issued by the Cabinet Office). These are charities that don't need to obtain licences from local authorities if they wish to conduct house to house collections. Only charities which have a National Exemption Order can carry out envelope collections when carrying out House to House Collections. All other charities or societies are required to collect in sealed containers.
The list of charities which hold an National Exemption Order can be viewed on the Cabinet Office register.
Please be aware that those agencies carrying out Direct Debit Collections do not require a licence from the authority, although most charities will inform the Council of their presence in the area as a matter of good practice. These collections will be included on the Register where possible. It should also be noted that collections carried out by commercial companies, where it is made very clear that the collection is for a commercial (not charitable) purpose, are also exempt from requiring a permit.
There is no fee payable for this service.
Bogus Charity Clothing Collections
The vast majority of leaflets distributed to households are from genuine registered charities. Some leaflets can, at a glance, look like they have come from a charity, but are actually from a company that profits from collections. An initiative to raise the public's awareness of the problem is being driven by a group of bodies including the Charity Commission, Cabinet Office, Trading Standards, and local authorities.
It is estimated that charities lose millions in lost revenue each year (some estimates suggest as much as £15 - 20 million) through theft and people giving clothing to organisations that they think are charities but are in fact commercial companies collecting for profit. While clothing collection companies may be acting legally, their leaflets can be largely indistinguishable from those of charities, unless people know what information to look for.
Top tips for spotting a genuine charity collection:
- Does the sack or leaflet say the collection is for a registered charity? If so, what's the registered charity number? Call 0845 3000 218 or visit the Charity Commission's online Register of Charities to check that it's genuine.
- Do they only give a registered company number? This just means that the organisation is registered with Companies House.
- Is the charity actually named? Be wary of wording that just says 'families in need' or 'sick kids at Christmas'.
• Does the leaflet or bag give a phone number? The absence of a phone number may mean the collectors don't want to answer questions.
Further information
For further information or advice on Charitable collections please contact the Licensing Office using the details below:
Licensing Office
Erewash Borough Council
Town Hall
Long Eaton
Derbyshire
NG10 1HU
Call: 0115 9071110
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.