Overview
To carry out street collection for charitable purposes in England and Wales you need a permit from the Licensing Team. When applying for a charitable collection, the Licensing team must receive at least one month's notice of a proposed collection.
It is illegal to hold a street collection 'in a street or public place' to collect money or sell articles for the benefit of charitable or other purposes without obtaining a street collection permit from the council. A 'public place' is a 'place where the public has access'.
The purpose of the legal requirement to obtain a permit is to ensure collectors are properly authorised, that money is collected in a secure way and the proceeds collected are properly accounted for.
Please note we do not usually authorise more than one collection in any one location.