A licence is required to collect money or goods from someone's home for charity.
The purpose of regulating charitable collections is to protect residents, particularly the vulnerable, from being exploited and from fraudulent requests for donations.
There is currently no reference to collecting direct debit information in house to house collection regulations. Collecting direct debit information was not an option when the legislation came into force.
House to house collections can be carried out by commercial collectors on a charity’s behalf. The percentage of collections given to charitable causes is not specified in law. We can determine whether to set a minimum amount.
It is recommended that licensing authorities avoid setting minimum amounts as the costs involved can vary substantially.
Rather than setting a minimum amount, we are proposing that the charity submits a declaration confirming they are satisfied with the amount being donated to charitable causes by commercial collectors.