House to House

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Application Process 

To apply for a House to House Collection Licence applicants must correctly complete an application form and return it to the Licensing Team at the Council with any relevant literature.

The application for a licence must be made no later than the first day of the month preceding that in which the collection is purposed to take place. 

Further information - House to House Collections 1947

Whereas street collection permits are normally issued to cover a period of one or two days, a house to house permit can be granted for up to a year.

There are no restrictions on the allocation of dates for house to house collections. Many collections are carried out by regional or national charitable organisations who often book their collections well in advance. If you would like to be sure that your collection will not clash with another organisation, please contact us and check in advance of completing your application form.

On successful completion of the application Vale of Glamorgan Council will grant a licence for the period specified on the application, providing that the period does not exceed one year.

•  Refusal or revocation of a licence

  Vale of Glamorgan Council may refuse to grant a licence or if it has already been granted, revoke the licence, if it appears to the authority:

  • that the applicant or the holder of the licence is not a fit and proper person to hold a licence
  • that the licence holder has failed to exercise due diligence to secure that the persons authorised by him/her to act as collectors were fit and proper persons and that they complied with the regulations
  • that the total amount likely to be used for charitable purposes as a result of the collection is inadequate in proportion to the amount likely to be received
  • that money from the collection has been or is likely to be retained or received by any person which is excessive in relation to the amount collected
  • that the grant of a licence could lead to an offence being committed under the Vagrancy Act 1824 or an offence has already been committed in connection with a collection
  • Where Vale of Glamorgan Council refuse to grant or revoke a licence they will give written notice to the applicant or licence holder stating upon which of the above grounds this has been taken

   

•  Returns

  The chief promoter of the collection shall provide to Vale of Glamorgan Council, within one month of the expiry of the licence an appropriate return.

•  Publication of proceeds

  Licence holders are required to publish, at their own expense, an account of the collection proceeds in a local newspaper. It must contain the name of the promoter, the name of the charity to benefit from the collection, the date of the collection, the amount collected and the amount of the expenses and payments incurred with the collection. A copy of the article must be forwarded to Vale of Glamorgan Council with the account of the collection.

Tacit Consent

Yes. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the local authority by the end of the target completion period.

The target time period is 28 calendar days.

Background and Eligibility Criteria

•  Definitions

  ‘Charitable Purposes’ means any charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purpose, whether or not the purpose is charitable within the meaning of any rule of law.
  
  ‘Collection’ means an appeal to the public, made by means of visits from house-to-house, to give, whether for consideration or not, money or other property; and ‘Collector’ means a person who makes the appeal in the course of such visits.
  
  ‘House’ includes a place of business.
  
  ‘Proceeds’ means, in relation to a collection, all money and all other property given, whether for consideration or not, in response to the appeal.
  
  ‘Promoter’ means a person who causes others to act as collectors for the purposes of the collection.

•  Collecting in a street or public place

  You would need a separate street collection permit from us to collect in this way. You must not therefore collect money on route from house to house or pub to pub (i.e. in the street).

•  Selling of goods from door to door

  You must not make appeals to the public whatsoever that any of the proceeds will be used for a charitable purpose (no matter how small an amount) as you would then need a licence from us. You should check with the Police if you need a Pedlar's Certificate.

•  State collection tins

  Leaving a static collecting tin or receptacle in a house or place of business will not require a licence.

Fees

There is currently no fee payable for this process.

Supplementary Information

Responsibility of promoters and collectors

The following section aims to summarise the main requirements of the House to House Collections Regulations 1947 and does not constitute the law, please refer to the Regulations for the full text.

Fit and proper persons acting as collectors

Every promoter of a collection shall exercise all due-diligence to secure that persons authorised to act as collectors for the purposes of the collections are fit and proper persons, and to ensure compliance on part of persons so authorised with the provisions of the House to House Collections Regulations 194.

Age limit

No person under the age of 16 years old shall be authorised to act as a collector of money.

Certificates of authority, badges, collecting boxes and receipt books

The promoter of the collection must ensure that all collectors are issued with:

• a prescribed certificate of authority, which has been signed by or on behalf of the chief promoter of the collection
• a prescribed badge, indicating the purpose of the collection
• if money is to be collected, a collecting box or receipt book clearly marked
• with the purpose of the collection and a distinguishing number

In addition promoters/collectors must comply with the following:

• the promoter must keep a list of the names and addresses of each collector and identify the distinguishing number of each box/receipt book given to each collector
• the collector shall sign their certificate of authority/badge and produce same to any Police Officer of householder for inspection
• the collector shall wear the badge when collecting
• the collector shall return the certificate and badge to the promoter on demand
• the collector must not annoy or importune a householder and must leave if requested
• the collector must ensure that all money received is deposited in the collecting box
• if collecting with a receipt book, the collector must complete a receipt detailing monies received, sign same and give to the householder
• the collector shall return on demand to the promoter any collecting box (with the seal unbroken) and/or receipt books
• the promoter must ensure that collecting boxes, when returned, are opened in his presence
• no collector shall importune any person to the annoyance of such person, or remain in, or at the door, of any house if requested to leave by any occupant 

Offences and Penalties 

It is an offence to promote or make a house to house collection for a charitable purpose without the promoter first obtaining a licence from the Local Authority in the area that the collection is to take place.

Any person guilty of an offence of promoting a charitable collection without a licence shall be liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, or to both.

Any person guilty of an offence of acting as a collector for an unlicensed charitable collection shall be liable, on summary conviction, in the case of a first conviction, to a fine not exceeding £25, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding £50, or to both.

Any person guilty of an offence of failing to comply with the provisions of the House to House Collections Regulations 1947 shall be liable on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.

If any person, in connection with any for a charitable purpose, displays or uses a prescribed badge or certificate of authority, not being a badge or certificate held by him for the purposes of the appeal or any badge or device, or any certificate or other document, so nearly resembling a prescribed badge or a prescribed certificate of authority as to be calculated to deceive she/he shall be guilty of an offence, liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, or to both.

Any person guilty of an offence of failing to declare to a police constable his name and address and to sign his name shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.

If any person in furnishing any information knowingly or recklessly makes a statement false, he shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, or to both.

Where an offence under the House to House Collections Act 1939 committed by a corporation is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any culpable neglect of duty on the part of, any director, manager, secretary, or other officer of the corporation, he/she, as well as the corporation, shall be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Complaint and Other Redress

•  Failed Application Redress

  Please contact the Licensing Team in the first instance:

   

  Tel: 01446 709105

  Email: licensing@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

   

  Any person aggrieved by a refusal to be granted a licence may appeal to the Magistrates Courts who may give such directions regarding the licence or its conditions as it thinks proper.

•  Licence Holder Redress
  Please contact the Licensing Team in the first instance:

   

  Tel: 01446 709105

  Email: licensing@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

   

  Any person aggrieved by any conditions to which a licence is subject may appeal to the Magistrates Courts who may give such directions regarding the licence or its conditions as it thinks proper.

•  Consumer Complaint
  We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you, preferably in the form of a letter with proof of delivery. 

   

  If that has not worked and you are located in the UK Consumer Direct will be able to give you advice.    

   

  If you have a complaint from across Europe contact the UK European Consumer Centre.

Regulations and Guidance