Street Collections Licence

Any person who intends to either collect money or sell articles for the benefit of charitable or other purposes in any street (which includes any highway, public bridge, road, lane, footpath, square, court, alley or passage whether thoroughfare or not) or public place within the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil requires a street collection permit from the Licensing Division.

The Police, Factories, etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916 and the Street Collection Regulations set out the law with regard to street collections.

Applying for a Street Collection Permit

Anyone wishing to undertake a street collection, are advised to contact the Licensing section to check the availability of dates. It is the Council’s policy to allow only one collection in a location at any one time, the only exception to this rule being Children In Need and Red Nose Day.

Once an available date has been agreed it can be provisionally booked, but we must receive a completed application form before a permit may be granted. Applications must be made at least 28 days prior to the requested collection date.

There is no fee for a Street Collection Permit.

Organising a Street Collection

When organising a Street Collection the Permit Holder must ensure that:-

• they have written authority from the Council to collect money;
• they have authorised in writing person(s) to collect for them (the Licensing Officer or Police Officer can ask for a copy of the letter);
• no collection must be undertaken in a manner which will inconvenience or annoy any person;
• collectors stand in one spot and are not within 25 meters of another collector;
• no collector is under the age of 16;
• every collector carries a collecting tin;
• every tin should be sealed and numbered and shows clearly the name of the Charity which is to benefit and the name of the organisation collecting (if different);

After a collection

Once a street collection has taken place:

• collecting tins should be opened in the presence of a promoter and a witness, or, if unopened, delivered to a bank to be opened and counted by an official;
• when opened, the contents of each tin should be entered on a list and certified by those present;
• a return must be made to the Council showing the total amount of monies collected, amounts from each tin and a list of collectors within 1 month of the collection;

No promoter or anyone associated with the collection can receive payment from the collection.

Direct Debit Collections

It is Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council’s interpretation of the Police, Factories, etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916, that direct debit fund-raising does not require a permit under the Act.