To collect money or sell articles for the benefit of charitable or other purposes in England or Wales, you need a street collection licence from your local council.
Tacit consent
Tacit consent does not apply to applications for charity collections made to North Herts Council. Having tacit consent means that you can act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from us by the end of the target completion period.
Apply online
Eligibility criteria
No provision in the legislation
Regulation summary
A summary of the regulation relating to this licence
Apply by post or email
Please complete this Street Collection application form and post or email it to us:
Street Collection application form
What does this cost?
What happens next?
You are 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 date.
Application/Licence Holder Redress
If you are unhappy about the way we have dealt with your application, the Council has a formal mechanism for dealing with such issues. Please see our website Comments, Compliments and Complaints or call our Customer Service Team on 01462 474000. Appeals must be lodged within 14 days.
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 a letter (with proof of delivery). If that has not worked, if you are located in the UK, Consumer Direct will give you advice. From outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.
What to look for if you’re approached by a street collector
Every street collector must carry around their permit or licence with them which shows the terms and conditions that they must follow. They will normally carry official documentation about the charity they are collecting for which you can ask to see to get more of an idea about what you are donating for.
Another sign to look out for is the bucket the street collector is using. By law, the bucket or container has to be sealed. They are normally provided by the charity they are collecting for, with the logo printed on the front. Therefore, if the bucket or container is not sealed or looks fake, then it most likely will be.
How to tell if the organisation is genuine or fake
If you think the charity someone is posing to collect for is fake, you can go onto the Charity Commission website which lists all charities within England and Wales.
What to do if you think there is someone collecting money illegally
First of all, the most obvious thing to do would be not to donate; remember to still be polite and decline kindly. The next thing to do would be to contact police on 0300 123 2040 or contact Action Fraud.
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