Licence summary
Any charity or similar organisation which wishes to collect money or sell articles in the street or other public place to raise money for its funds must obtain a permit from the council.
Permits are granted for one day and the council restricts the number of permits issued each year for Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Warwick. There are usually more applications received than the dates available which means that all applications are not able to be approved, so early application is recommended.
Regulations
Any collection to be undertaken in a street or a public place requires a street collection permit. Definitions of a "street” and "public place" as provided by the Charity Commission
"any highway and any public bridge, road, lane footway, square, court, alley or passage, whether a thoroughfare or not”
Some collectors attempt to bypass the Street Collections Regulations by claiming that their collectors are on "private property" and, therefore, do not need a licence. The arguments usually put forward are: The area between a pavement and a shop door is neither a street or a public place, and so a collector standing needs only the permission of the shop's management. A collector who stands in the walkways of a privately owned shopping precinct is not standing in a street or a public place. Neither argument is correct, as both areas are public places.
Similarly, collections are sometimes conducted in shop doorways and shopping precincts without the necessary licence under the statutory provisions relating to street collections - again on the argument that these areas are private property and not subject to control. Both areas would, however, normally be deemed "public places”.
We advise charities concerned that a licence should be obtained in all instances.
Street collection regulations (174kb, PDF)
Applications and returns
Applications for permits to collect money in connection with some other event (e.g. sponsored walk, morris dancing) are considered in addition to the limits imposed on ordinary street collections. Organisations which carry out a street collection in accordance with a permit issued by the council have to submit a return showing the amount collected and how it has been spent within one month of the collection taking place.
Alternatively you can download a paper Application form to hold a street collection (26kb, PDF).
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