Direct debit fundraising

Many charities choose to raise funds by approaching members of the public and asking them to make regular donations by direct debit.  They do not require a licence from the council under current legislation.  They are sometimes referred to in the media as ‘chuggers’, and this is different from "charity bucket" collections (charitable street collections) which requires a permit.

City Centre Site Management Agreement

We have worked with the Institute of Fundraising to come to a site management agreement for the city centre which limits the number of fundraisers in the city centre and sets out their expected standards of behaviour.

As part of this agreement, there will be no direct debit fundraising allowed in the city centre on:

• Wednesdays
• Saturdays
• Sundays

Direct debit fundraising will be limited to 12 fundraisers working over 3 small areas on other days. This agreement has reduced the number of fundraisers operating in the city centre by over 75%.

We will continue to monitor this agreement to make sure it works for shoppers, residents and the charities.

Download the site management agreement

If you want to complain about fundraising, contact the Fundraising Regulator.

Other areas

We are looking into introducing similar site management agreements in other shopping areas of the city.