Charity collections

When do you need a licence?

If you’re planning to collect donations for charity in Hart – on the street or door-to-door – you may need a licence.

These licences are free.

You won’t need a licence if you're collecting for charity in a store, supermarket or on private land. But you should seek permission from the store or landowner.

Who can collect for charity?

Anyone collecting for your charity must be a ‘fit and proper person’. For example, someone recently convicted of fraud would not be considered a fit and proper person.

Important points to remember:

• only authorised collectors can collect money
• you must collect money in a sealed container

Charity Collection Policy

The Council has produced a policy which sets out how it will deal with applications for charity collections within Hart district. Please read the policy before making an application. The charity street collection regulations can also be found within the policy.

Please read our policy on charity collections

How to apply

Street collections

Please apply for a licence at least one month before your collection is due to take place. You can’t begin your collection until you receive your licence.

Apply for street collections licence

Your licence will say when and where you can collect. For example, you won’t be allowed to collect in the same town more than once in any three-month period.

We can refuse to issue a licence for reasons such as:

• a potential clash with other scheduled activities in the district
• a potential clash with another charity collection
• the applicant’s conduct during previous charity collections

By law, you can't appeal against the refusal of a street collection licence, although you may ask the High Court to review the decision.

You need to submit a street collections return form within one month of the last collection date. This should state how much has been collected and what expenses have been deducted.

House-to-house

These collections are regulated by the House to House Collections Act 1939. House-to-house collectors are people calling at houses asking for donations at the door. 

It is an offence to make house-to-house collections without the necessary permissions.

Please apply for permission to carry out a house-to-house collection at least one month before the proposed date of the collection.

Apply for house-to-house collection licence

To avoid disappointment, you can make a provisional booking for your preferred collection dates before applying for your licence. Please contact us using the details on this page.

After each collection, you must submit a house-to-house collection return form within one month that tells us how much money you raised as well as how much you spent on expenses, such as printing, stationery and collectors.