Street Collections and the Morris
Many teams donate some or all of the money they collect whilst dancing to charity.
Legally speaking, however, it is important to distinguish between “donating money collected, to charity” and “collecting money for charity”.
The former is a decision made by the team, the latter is regulated by law.
If you want to collect money on the street for charity, you will almost certainly need a street collection licence. It’s not just ‘streets’ that are covered – you’ll need a licence if you collect money for charity in public areas, e.g. a shop doorway or [pub] car park.
Do not attempt to collect on behalf of a charity without liaising with, and following the instructions from, that charity. They could get into legal difficulties if you inadvertently breach Institute of Fundraising regulations.
If you are collecting for yourselves then you are “busking”.
It is NOT illegal to busk in the UK, as long as the performer is aged 14 years or older. However, some local councils may have bye-laws that prohibit or regulate street performers. In London, for instance, both the London Borough of Camden and Uxbridge Town Centre require buskers to hold a licence.
The usual common-sense rules apply – always have permission both to dance and to collect (separately) from the owner of the land (or their agent, e.g. pub manager). If in doubt when dancing on public land, apply for a licence from the local authority via gov.uk or search the local council website.
NB: if you are busking you are collecting money for yourselves. You must not tell people that you are collecting for charity – that requires a licence. You can tell them that you are collecting for yourselves but that X% of the money you collect is donated to charity (provided that’s true, of course!). You must not put yourselves forward as official collectors for the charity, nor state that you are collecting on the charity’s behalf unless you have the proper licensing, collecting tins and identification. If you do so, you could get the charity into trouble as well as yourselves.
Warning – this is not legal advice. It is believed accurate as of November 2020, but the Morris Federation expects all member teams to check their specific circumstances with their local council, police authority or other responsible body.
Collecting for charity
Street collection licences are usually only granted on the condition that you follow some general rules when collecting:
- collectors must be over 16 years old, unless the collection is part of a procession; if the collection is part of a procession, collectors can be any age, though under 14s must be accompanied by a responsible adult
- collectors must be stationary, unless the collection is part of a procession
- collectors must be positioned at least 25 metres apart and must not be a danger, obstruction, inconvenience or annoyance to anyone
- all collection boxes/buckets should display the name of the charity or fund collecting and should be securely sealed
- collectors should carry a written authority or badge signed on behalf of the Chief Promoter (who will be a named employee of the charity)
Collecting for yourselves
When collecting for yourself you must not threaten the public or make a nuisance of yourselves (obviously!). In addition, some councils may have bye-laws prohibiting or regulating organised collection on public property. Some councils do not license buskers but nonetheless expect them to follow a code of conduct in their performances, such as:
- not making too much noise (e.g. when using amplification)
- no performance designed to shock or frighten the audience or cause offence
- not blocking public highways (footpaths, pavements, open pedestrian areas)
- not displaying notices asking for payment
- not trading (you need a street trading licence or pedlar’s certificate for this)
- only busking in certain parts of the town or for a limited period of time
It is therefore not possible to give any definitive advice that will apply to all teams in all circumstances. All we can say is contact the local authority responsible for the locations in which you will be dancing and ask to speak to the town centre manager or to the licensing team. You can identify the authority responsible for a given area (postcode) at https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council.
Cashless Collections
The basic format is that you buy a card-reader; pair it to your mobile by Bluetooth; download & open the app when instructed; and follow the steps to set a standard amount.
Options are chip & PIN; contactless.
The main considerations: upfront cost (purchase); ongoing costs (transactional); and VAT. This goes through someone’s account, either personal or business, the latter being complicated, obviously. It’s as secure as giving the treasurer all the collection to count up & take to the bank, really.
A few devices currently available (as at April 2022) are: SumUp; Square; PayPal Here; iZettle; Shopify. Others are available.
Last updated: February 2023
