Licence Summary
You need a licence from Leeds City council to carry out house-to-house collections for charitable purposes that exceeds 28 days in the Leeds area. If you wish to carry out house to house collections for a period of less than 28 days you can apply for a Certificate of Exemption from West Yorkshire Police.
Applications must be in the prescribed form and the applicant must be a fit and proper person.
Regulation Summary
House to House Collections Act 1939
Application Evaluation Process
You can download an application form from this webpage. Please submit your application to the Entertainment Licensing Section at least 28 days before the proposed collection.
There is no charge for a house to house collection permit. However, once a permit has been issued, you will need to apply to The Stationery Office for copies of the prescribed Certificate of Authority and prescribed Badges (which you will need to supply to all your collectors). You can order these online. The ISBN number is 9780113407422
Prices: The Stationery Office charges for the badges, as listed below:
- 30p each
- £4 for 20
- £10 for 100
There is a handling charge of £3 (plus VAT) per order (all other prices are inclusive of VAT and payable to The Stationery Office).
There are no restrictions on the allocation of dates for house to house collections, nor on the length of the collection (provided it is less than one calendar year). Many collections are carried out by regional or national charitable organisations who often book their collections well in advance under the authority of a Home Office exemption.
After the collection has been held a return form, signed by an accountant, detailing the amount collected and any expenses incurred, needs to be submitted to the council within one month. The relevant return form will be sent when your permit is issued.
Will Tacit Consent Apply?
Tacit consent applies to a House to House permit application if no relevant representations are made during a period of 28 days from the day after the application is received by the Licensing Authority. The application will be deemed granted after the last date for representation.
If relevant representations are received from West Yorkshire Police within the 28 day consultation period tacit consent does not apply and a public hearing must be held to determine your application.
Target Completion Period
If there are no representations to the application, the licence will be granted 60 days from the day the Licensing Authority received the application.
If there are representations the application will go before a Licensing Sub-Committee and a decision will be made at the hearing.
Forms to download, print and post
Should you wish to apply by post, you can download the following PDF forms from this page that you can complete and post to us:
- House to House Permit Application Form
Forms to download and email
If you would prefer to be sent application forms by email that you can type directly onto, please contact us. We can accept payment by phone.
Redress
Please contact Leeds City Council in the first instance.
If your application was refused you have the right to appeal to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Appeals must be lodged within 14 days of the refusal.
Should you have a complaint about a house to house collector, the PFRA will give you advice. You can also contact us.
Public Registers or databases
Leeds City Council does not hold a public register of House to House collections online, but if you contact us we will be able to provide information over the phone.
Trade Associations
Public Fundraising Regulatory Association
Use of Personal Data
Leeds City Council is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this end may use the information you have provided on your application for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.