Council looking to shake up street collection rules

Charities conducting street collections in Somerset may no longer have to publish how much they have raised in the local press.

- John Wimperis Local democracy reporter

Somerset Council launched a public consultation on Saturday (November 1) over proposed changes to its licensing policy - specifically the policies relating to charitable street collections carried out across the county.

The council is aiming to streamline and standardise the licensing process, removing unnecessary red tape from the four systems it inherited from the previous district councils in April 2023.

The public have until late-January to give their views on the planned changes, with the new policy expected to formally take effect by the late-spring of 2026.

Anyone wishing to carry out a street cash collection must apply to the council for a permit to do so - just as those carrying out house-to-house collections of money and goods require a licence from the same local authority.