Charity collections
All charitable Street and House-to-House Collections must by law be licensed by your council and must also comply with Council Policy on Charitable Collections.
For current information on diaries or for any other query please contact us.
Covid-19 – Supporting Safe and Responsible Fundraising
Whilst many restrictions have been lifted, Covid-19 has not gone away and we would encourage charity fundraisers to read the Institute of Fundraisers’ guidance on safe collecting at this time. (See link below.)
Please note that Charity Stalls are currently available on Wednesday Charter Markets and on Farmers’ Markets, but not Saturday Charter Markets.
Charity Street Collection Permits and House-to-House Collection Permits are being issued in the normal way, with a minimum requirement of 4 weeks’ notice.
It is for individual charities and collectors to decide whether they will carry out street collections or face-to-face fundraising during the Coronavirus Emergency. If you do carry out a collection please ensure that you consider Government Guidance on social distancing and other advice set out in the Institute of Fundraising’s Guidance website.
Institute of Fundraising guidance
Please do not obstruct the pavement and do pay particular attention to social distancing and/or street flow adjustments that may temporarily be in place around the District, such as pavement closures and one-way systems.
If you decide to go ahead, you must obtain a licence/permit from the Council in the usual way.
What Charity Collections are already booked in St Albans & District? Toggle accordion
These diaries may not be completely up-to-date because new collections can be booked in every day but you can find them here:
To Apply for a Licence Toggle accordion
You can apply for the following licenses online:
Use the following documents to:
What Laws Cover Charity Collection Licensing? Toggle accordion
Street Collections are licensed under the Police, Factories etc (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916
House-to-House Collections are licensed under the House-to-House Collections Act 1939
What is a Charity Collection? Toggle accordion
A charity collection can be a Street Collection or a House-to-House Collection and may include:
- a collection of cash for charity
- a collection of items to be sold for charity
- a sale of items for charity
- a collection of pledges to pay a regular sum by direct debit for charity
Street Collections Toggle accordion
Street Collections are those made in any place that is open to the public and may include:
- pavements
- parks
- supermarkets
- shopping precincts
- garden centres
These are examples and do not cover every possibility.
House-to-House Collections Toggle accordion
House-to-House collections take place from door to door and may include:
- knocking on people’s doors with a collecting tin
- posting donation envelopes through letterboxes
- going from pub to pub with collecting tins
- leaving bags for clothing donations
How Often Can a Charity Collect? Toggle accordion
Each charity may apply for one Street Collection per year in each of the following areas -
- St Albans
- Harpenden
- Wheathampstead
- Redbourn
- Marshalswick Quadrant
- St Albans Charity Market Stall
Any other place or area including inside shops or pubs, with their permission
What is Council Policy on Charitable Collections? Toggle accordion
The Council’s Policy on Charitable Collections pdf is a document that the Council created to set out what we expect from people who make charity collections in our area. It also explains
- how we decide whether or not we can license a collection
- how we decide whether a house-to-house clothing collection is a legitimate charitable collection
Face-to-Face Fundraisers (Chuggers) Toggle accordion
The law does not allow the Council to regulate Chuggers, so they do not need a permit to visit our area. However, we do have a Voluntary Code of Practice pdf in place.
If you have a complaint about a Face-to-Face fundraiser you have met on the street, please contact us.
How do I Know that a House-to-House Collection of Clothing is Legitimate? Toggle accordion
You may receive a plastic bag through your door asking you to donate clothing for charity. By law, the people who do these collections must hold either:
- a licence from the Council
OR
- a National Exemption Order from the Cabinet Office
You can see the List of Holders of National Exemption Orders here.
To check whether a clothing collection in your area is legitimate, please contact us.
Advice about House-to-House Clothing Collections Toggle accordion
If you have doubts about the legitimacy of a house-to-house collection and you are unable to contact the Council, do not donate anything.
The costs of making clothing collections are high in comparison with the amount actually donated to the charity. The Cabinet Office has decided that a donation of 6.4% of proceeds is acceptable. This means that currently up to 93.6% of the money raised by the collectors can legally be kept by them to cover their costs.
Other methods of giving to charity include donating your goods directly to a charity shop or via a charity-owned recycling container.
There are also some fake and unauthorised collectors operating in the UK. The only way to be sure that the collection is legitimate is to check with the Council, who will have done background checks before issuing the licence.
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) Toggle accordion
The Charitable Collections Privacy Notice pdf explains how St Albans City & District Council (the Data Controller) will use any personal information we collect about you when you use our services.
We will use this information for the purposes we have set out; keep it securely; destroy it when we no longer need it; tell you the rights applicable to this personal information and how to exercise them; tell you who you can complain to.
