A street collection involves collecting money or selling articles in any street or public place for the benefit of a charitable or other purpose.
A street includes any:
- Highway and public bridge
- Road
- Lane
- Footway
- Square
- Court
- Alley or passage.
Whether a thoroughfare or not.
To carry out this kind of collection you need a permit from us.
Please be aware that house to house collections (including pub to pub) are regulated separately.
Collection dates
It is our Policy that only one collection is allowed per year per area due to the number of charities / organisations wishing to hold collections. In particular within the main Wigan and Leigh Town Centres.
You must apply at least 28 days before your collection, but please be aware that dates get booked very quickly so we advise you to apply as far in advance as possible.
If you have a particular date in mind for your proposed collection please contact us to make sure the date is available.
Public Register
There is no legal requirement to keep a register. However we do publish a list of the collections / fundraising that we have approved.
Making an application
There is no fee for this application.
You can apply for a permit through this page. Where applicable, your application should include:
- Literature / Information about the charity / organisation who will benefit
- Letter of authority from the charity / organisation who will benefit
- Copy of any contracts between you and the benefiting charity / organisation
- Last audited accounts of benefiting charity.
If you can not provide us with accounts, please include the reason why.
Failure to submit the relevant information could lead to a delay with your application.
We will begin processing your application on receipt, unless there is a problem, and a permit will be issued before your proposed collection date.
We inform the police of any application for a street collection permit and may also contact other local authorities where collections have taken place.
Will Tacit Consent apply?
Yes. If you have not heard from us before your collection, you may act as though your application has been granted. However you are advised to contact us to confirm your permit has been granted.
After the collection
Within one month following your collection you need to send us statement showing how much money has been raised and the amount used to cover any expenses.
This form must be certified by the promoter of the collection and either an accountant or an independent responsible person.
Even if no collection took place you must submit a ‘nil’ return.
Statements can be submitted online or by post.