House-to-house collections licensing

House-to-house collection licences are issued by the council under the House to House Collections Act 1939. For full terms and conditions of the license, visit legislation.gov.uk.

Licenses are typically issued to small charities or local community groups, such as scouts or girl guides.

Some larger charities are exempt from needing a licence. If you believe may be representing one of these charities, check the list below before making an application.

List of National Exemption Order holders (gov.uk)

Apply for a licence

Application for a licence should be made to your local licensing office using the application forms below, and should be made no later than the first day of the before the month in which you wish to start collecting.

A licence cannot be granted for a period longer than 12 months.

• Application form for collections in the South Lakeland area (.doc, 263kb)
• Application form for collections in the Eden area (PDF, 19kb)
• Application form for collections in the Barrow area (.doc, 407kb)

After being granted a license

When your house-to-house collections licence is issued, we will provide you with the following forms:

• Account of Expense
• Proceeds and Application
• Proceeds of Collection of Money

These forms must be completed and returned to your local office within one month of the collection being held. The forms detail the amount collected, and any expenses incurred.

Where there is an issue or more information is needed, we will contact the permit holder within 5 working days of receipt.

Collectors’ badges

You will also be issued with a fourth form, Certificate for the Information of Stationery Office, which you can use to apply for official badges for collectors.

While there is no fee for the license itself, the Stationery Office does charge a small fee for these badges. Full details will be provided with the form.

Refusal to grant a licence

We may refuse to grant a licence or revoke an existing license in circumstances specified in the legislation. These include:

• when the proportion of total proceeds given to charity is deemed to be too small
• where a collector’s personal remuneration is deemed to be excessive
• where the granting of a licence would facilitate begging
• if the applicant or anyone authorised by them to collect is not a ‘fit and proper’ person
• if the applicant or licence holder has not provided the council with the required information

You have the right to appeal to the Secretary of State against the refusal or removal of a licence. The appeal must be made within 14 days from the date on which you are notified of our decision.

Contact our Licensing Team