Do I need a permit?
Any collections carried out for charity in a public place,
whether or not it is in a public street, will need a street
collection permit from the Council’s Licensing Team.
A street collection permit will not be required if you collect
inside a shop or a public house, or in the foyer of a cinema or
theatre. However, if you collect in a supermarket car park this is
deemed a public place.
How do I apply?
In order to collect for a charity you must first contact the
Licensing Team to provisionally book a space to make sure no other
collections have been authorised at the same time and venue that
you wish to collect. You should complete the charitable collection
application form and submit it to us no later than one
month* before the date on which it is proposed to make the
collection. We can either post or email the form and guidance notes
to you, or else you can download or print them off by
following the links below.
Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF files.
There is no fee to apply for a permit.
*Please note that we may reduce the period of one month if we
are satisfied there are special reasons for doing so.
What happens after the collection?
Once granted, the street collection permit is subject to
regulations which you can view by following the link below.
Please make sure you read the regulations carefully.
The rules are summarised as follows:
Within one month after the date of the
collection, the person to whom a permit has been granted must
submit a completed returns form to the Licensing Team. We can
either post or email the form to you, or alternatively you can
download or print it off by following the link below.
This form will confirm the amount received, the expenses and
payment incurred in the collection, a list of the collectors and
the list of the amounts collected in each collecting box. This form
must be certified by the person to whom the permit was granted and
by a qualified accountant.In addition, a copy of a bank paying-in
slip or confirmation of how the money has been appropriated must be
submitted with the returns form.
Also within one month of the date of the collection, the person
to whom the permit was granted must publish in a local newspaper
circulating in the area in which the collection took place (and at
his or her own expense) a statement showing:
- The name of the person to whom the permit was granted.
- The area to which the permit relates.
- The name of the charity or fund to benefit.
- The date of the collection.
- The amount collected.
- The amount of expenses and payments incurred in connection with
the collection.
This person must also forward a copy of the published newspaper
statement to the Licensing Team.
Contact details
For more information and advice please contact:
Licensing Team,
Suffolk Coastal District Council,
Melton Hill,
Woodbridge,
Suffolk IP12 1AU.
Telephone: 01394 444802.
Fax:
01394 385100.
Email:
licensing@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk
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