Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment

Recommendations:-

1.    That the draft policy be considered and approval be given to take the Policy to consultation with relevant individuals and organisations.

2.    That, following consultation, the Policy be brought back to Cabinet in the spring of 2019 to consider adoption.

Consideration was given to the report which detailed how house to house collections on behalf of charities, with some exemptions, were required to be permitted by Councils. Whilst governed by national legislation, there was provision for local discretion.   

House to house collections were defined as ‘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 that may be sold for money, where the proceeds were given to any charitable, benevolent or philanthropic.

Applications were received by the Council from a number of organisations each year and the issuing of permits to authorise collections was considered by the Council’s Licensing Board. The Council was not obliged to formulate and adopt a Policy in relation to the application process for House to House Collection Permits, and historically had not had a Policy in place.

It was now considered that by having a clear and transparent policy this would assist applicants’ understanding of the process and facilitate more consistent decision making by the Council.  The draft Policy also contained important criteria including a minimum of 80% of the value of the collections to be provided to the Charity and a time limit restriction for collections to a home address.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the draft policy be received and approval given to take the Policy to consultation with relevant individuals and organisations.

(2)  That, following consultation, the Policy be submitted to the Cabinet in Spring, 2019 for adoption.