Slough Borough Council: Street collection licences

Street collection licences

It is illegal in this country to hold a street collection to collect money or sell articles for the benefit of charitable or other purposes without obtaining a street collection licence from the council if that collection is to be held in a street or public place. A public place is a place where the public has access.

It is often assumed that collections held in shop doorways or car parks do not need a street collection licence because they are being held on privately owned land. This is not true, as the legislation does not mention the ownership of the land or treat collections on privately owned land as exempt from the licensing regulations. A shop doorway or carpark, when that shop is open for trading, is a public place because the public has access at that time. No other licence would be valid. A pedlars licence, issued by the police cannot be used for this purpose. Only local authorities issue street collection licences.

There is no cost for the issuing of consent but there are rules to be followed in applying. Street collections are usually made by charities. Collections usually take place in a town centre on busy shopping days. Money is collected in tins. There are regulations, which govern this type of collection. Consents are restricted to enable charities to raise money without their collections clashing with those of other charities.

The purpose of the legal requirement to obtain consent is to ensure collectors are properly authorised and that money is collected in a secure way and the total proceeds collected are properly accounted for.

You can obtain an application form and a copy of our standard conditions from the licensing team. Contact us by calling 01753 875255 or emailing licensing@slough.gov.uk.

Alternatively, download an application form below.