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/ Guidance on
HOUSE-TO-HOUSE COLLECTIONS

The purpose of this guidance is to advise promoters of their responsibilities when organising house to house collections. It also gives advice on the responsibilities of collectors during and following the collection.

If you require further guidance please contact us:

Licensing, Public Protection

Tamworth Borough Council

Marmion House

Lichfield Street

Tamworth

Staffordshire

B79 7BZ

Email:

Telephone: 01827 709445

Responsibility of promoters as respects collectors

Every promoter of a collection shall exercise all due diligence to ensure that the persons he authorises as collectors are fit and proper persons. Collectors must not have been convicted of any of the following offences:

Offences under sections forty-seven to fifty-six of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 (Robbery, burglary, and blackmail)
Offences in Scotland involving personal violence or lewd, indecent, or libidinous conduct, or dishonest appropriation of property.
Offences under the Street Collections Regulation (Scotland) Act 1915.

Offences under section five of the Police, Factories etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916 (the contravention of regulations adopted by local authorities to control the collection of money or sale of articles for the benefit of charitable or other purposes); and
Any other offence for fraud or dishonesty;

The promoter must ensure that collectors comply with the “Duties of Collectors” (which are summarised below).

Age limit of collectors – you cannot authorise anybody under the age of sixteen years to act as a collector of money.

Certificates of authority, badges, collecting boxes and receipt boxes

As a promoter, you must not allow someone to act as a collector unless you have given the collector:

Aprescribed certificate of authority which has been properly completed except for the signature of the collector. The certificate authority must be signed by or on behalf of the chief promoter of the collection. Please see appendix 1 for an example of the prescribed certificate.

A prescribed badge. You must insert on the badge (or attach to the badge) the general purpose of the collection. Please see appendix 1 for an example of the prescribed badge.

A collecting box or receipt book if you are collecting money rather than goods

If you are giving each collector a collecting box –

By the term “collecting box” we mean a box or other container for money which is securely closed and sealed in such a way that it cannot be opened without breaking the seal. The collecting box must be marked with a clear indication of the purpose of the collection. The box must also have a distinguishing collection box number.

If you are giving each collector a receipt book–

By the term “receipt book” we mean a book of detachable forms of receipt consecutively numbered with counterfoils or duplicates correspondingly numbered.

The receipt book must be marked with a clear indication of the purpose of the collection and must be given a distinguishing collection number. Additionally, each receipt in the receipt book must be marked with this collection number. This is in addition to the consecutive number of the receipt.

Every promoter must ensure:

That they have a list of collectors - Before you issue a prescribed certificate of authority, prescribed badge, collection box or receipt book to a collector you must enter their name and address on a list of collectors. You should record the collection box number (or receipt book number) issued to this collector on this list.

That items issued to the collector are returned – When the collection is complete or if the collector ceases to act as a collector you must ensure that every prescribed certificate of authority, prescribed badge, collecting box or receipt book is returned.

Thatspecialist stationaryis used –For collections authorised by a House to House Collection Licence every certificate of authority and every badge given to collectors must be obtained from The Stationary Office.

These combined badges and certificate of authority cost approximately £0.72each, plus a handling charge per order. Bulk Prices 20+ badges are £0.58 each, 100+ badges are £0.50. For less than 4 badges, these are free of charge.(Prices correct at 13/11/2014) When your house to house licence is issued you will receive an application form which you must complete and send the original document to The Stationary Office to obtain your badges.

The Stationary Office (TSO)

St Crispins

Duke Street

Norwich

NR3 1PD

Telephone 0870 600 5522

ISBN 9780113407422

Every prescribed certificate of authority needs to be completed and signed by or on behalf of the promoter. You need to insert onto the certificate of authority the purpose of the collection or alternatively, securely attach details of the purpose of the collection to the certificate of the authority.

Examination of boxes and books

When the collecting box is returned, and if it contains money, the promoter must open the collecting box in the presence of another responsible person. Alternatively, if a collecting box is delivered to a bank still sealed and unopened it may be examined and opened by an official of the bank in the absence of a promoter.

As soon as a collecting box has been opened, the contents shall be counted and the amount shall be entered with the distinguishing number of the collecting box on a list. The persons examining the contents of the collecting box need to sign the list to confirm that the amounts of money recorded on the list are correct.

When areceipt book and associated sums of money are received they shall be examined by a promoter of the collection and another responsible person. The amount of the contributions entered in the receipt book must be checked with the money and entered with the distinguishing number of the receipt book on a list. The persons examining the receipt book and corresponding money collected need to sign the list to confirm that the amounts of money recorded on the list are correct and correspond with the total amount recorded in the receipt book.

Disposal of disused certificates of authority, etc

The chief promoter of the collection must ensure that all forms of prescribed certificates of authority and prescribed badges are destroyed when no longer required in connection with that collection or in connection with a further collection which he has been authorised to promote for the same purpose.

Submission of a return

Within one month of the end of the collection the promoter must complete and return the form “Statement ofReturn Following a Charity Collection.” A paper copy of this form will be sent out with your licence. Alternatively, you can complete and submit the form online at

http://www.tamworth.gov.uk/business/licensing_and_street_traders/House_to_House_Collections_Lic.aspx

Where there has been a failure to return the Statement of Return Following a Charity Collection this will usually result in any subsequent applications being refused for a period of 5 years.

Duties of collectors

Every collector must:

Sign his name on the prescribed certificate of authority issued to him and produce it if requested by any police constable, authorised officer of Tamworth Borough Council or any occupant of a house visited during the collection.

Sign his name on the prescribed badge issued to him.

Wear the badge prominently whenever he is engaged in collecting.

Keep the certificate and badge in his possession and return them to a promoter of the collection when the collection is completed or at any other time when asked to do so by the promoter.

Give their name, address and sign their name if asked to do so by a Police constable when they are carrying out the collection.

Not harass a person with persistent requests

Not remain in, or at the door of, any house if requested to leave by any occupant.

If the collector is given a collecting box to collect money, the collector must ensure that that the person giving the contribution places the money directly into the collecting box themselves.

If the collector is given a receipt book to collect money, immediately after they are given the contribution they must fill in the receipt book in the presence of the person giving the contribution. The collector must enter in ink (or indelible pencil) on both the receipt AND the corresponding counterfoil:

The date
Name of the contributor
The amount contributed
Shall sign the receipt

They shall then give the receipt to the contributor.

Return the collection box to the promoter of the collection with the seal unbroken when:

The box is full;
On the request of the promoter
When thecollector decidesthey can no longer act as a collector;
Upon the completion of the collection.

Return the receipt book (if this has been issued instead of a collection box) with the money collected when:

The receipt book is exhausted;
On the request of the promoter
When the collector decide you can no longer act as a collector;
Upon the completion of the collection

Appendix

FORM OF PRESCRIBED CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY

HOUSE-TO-HOUSE COLLECTIONS ACT
COLLECTOR'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY
(Here insert name of collector in block letters)
of (here insert address of collector)
is hereby authorised to collect for
(here insert the purpose of the collection)
in(here insert the area within which the collector is authorised to collect, being an area within which the collection has been authorised)
*during the period (here insert the period during which the collector is authorised to collect, being a period during which the collection has been authorised)
Signature of collector -
x / Signed -

* This entry may be omitted in the case of a collection in respect of which as order has been made.

HOUSE-TO-HOUSE COLLECTIONS ACT
COLLECTOR'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY
Regulation 7 of the House to House Collections Regulations 1947
7. Every Collector Shall –
(a) sign his name on the prescribed certificate of authority issued to him and produce it on the demand of any police constable or of any occupant of a house visited by him for the purpose of the collection;
(b) Sign his name on the prescribed badge issued to him and wear the badge prominently whenever he is engaged in collecting; and
(c) keep such certificate and badge in his possession and return them to a promoter of the collection on replacement thereof or when the collection is completed or at any other time on the demand of a promoter of the collection

FORM OF PRESCRIBED BADGE

Front Back

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