Derbyshire Dales District Council is carrying out a review of its House to House and Street Collections (Charity Collections) Policy 2024.
A Street Collection Permit, regulated by the Police, Factories, &c. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916, allows a Collector to raise money for charities etc.
House-to-House collections are regulated by the House-to-House Collections Act 1939 and the House-to-House Collections Regulations 1947. These Act requires the promoter to obtain a licence from the Council before a collection can be carried out. The Council must grant a licence on application unless one of the grounds set out in the Acts for refusing the licence apply.
Derbyshire Dales District Council issue around 100 street collection permits every year and approximately 15 House-to-House Licences . These are granted to charities like yourself acting on behalf of national or local charities and other good causes, subject to compliance with the above Regulations adopted by the District Council. The District Council does not have powers to charge for the issue of either a Street Collection permit or House-to-House Collection licence, so the cost of administering the scheme cannot be recovered from application fees as is the case with many other types of licence.
Although the Council operates the scheme on a first come first served basis (a matter of custom and practice over the years), it doesn’t limit the number of permits the same organiser can apply for in the same year.
The number of street collections that can take place in the same location (town or village) on the same day is restricted to 1, to avoid the public being faced with a collection tin from several different charities on every street corner in the town, on the same day.
There is a 3-week period in October/November each year when the Collection calendar is blocked out across the district to allow the RBL Poppy Appeal to collect every day in the run up to Remembrance Sunday.
The District Council is not legally required to have a formal Policy in place for dealing with these permits and licences, but it was felt in 2021, that there was merit in formalising an informal practice that has been operating successfully for several years, as it will ensure that the permits and licences are granted fairly and consistently. In August 2021, a House to House and Street Collection Policy was introduced and three years on, August 2024, it is time to review that policy.
Consultation
We are currently consulting with permit and licence holders who have held charity collections over the last 2-3 years.
We are also consulting with the relevant statutory authorities (to include Police, Trading Standards, Highways), and the District Council's Policy, Legal and Community Safety teams.
Comments are also welcomed from the District Council's Elected Members, Town, and Parish Councils/Meetings, and from members of the general Public.
Any responses received by the end of the consultation period will be evaluated and a report may be submitted to the next available meeting of the Licensing and Appeals Committee. The Committee will consider a revised draft Policy, taking account of any comments received during the consultation. As stakeholders you and your charities will be informed of the outcome later in the year.
Changes to the new 2024 proposed Draft House to House and Street Collections Policy 2024 for consultation are highlighted in green and two new additional sections have been added entitled ‘Complaints’ and ‘Financial Controls for Charities’.
Please make any comments in writing and email them to
or post them to: Licensing Section, Place and Economy, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Town Hall, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3NN.
