Update: This afternoon (Sept 14) Shelter and The Anthony Nolan Trust have contacted Birmingham City Council offering to relinquish their collection slots for November 11 and 12 respectively. The Council is therefore now able to offer these additional times and slots to the Royal British Legion, meaning they will be able to collect across the entire city on both days.
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said:
“Between 29th October and 13th November, The Royal British Legion has permission to make charitable collections across the whole, or the major part of Birmingham every day. This includes the city centre on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.”
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(see below for further details)
Notes to editors:
Charitable Street Collections Policy
It is a legal requirement that any organisation wishing to conduct a charitable street collection must first approach the local authority for formal permission.
Each year we request that street collection applications for the following calendar year be sent to the Licensing section by 1st November.
During November we will try to give all applications their first choice of dates and areas. Applications can still be made after this date for any days or areas still available.
In order to maximise the opportunity for each charity to collect money for their individual cause, and also to keep the level of demand placed on the public to an acceptable level, only one charity is granted permission to collect in any given area on the same day.
The policy ensures every charity is given fair and equal opportunity to apply for, and raise money on, the dates and locations of their choice.
Charities are free to make direct arrangements with private landowners to conduct collections on their land without needing local authority approval (for example shopping centres).
Background on The Royal British Legion
In this instance The Royal British Legion did not make an application by the November 1st deadline, and first approached the city council in May 2011.
Upon receipt of this application we advised the British Legion of all dates and locations still available to them, as some of the dates and locations they requested had already been booked by other charities.
To withdraw permission for these pre-agreed charities to collect in these locations, at this stage, would be wholly unfair to those organisations.
Between 29th October and 12th November, The Royal British Legion has permission to make charitable collections across the whole, or the major part of Birmingham everyday.
They have also been granted permission to collect in Birmingham’s three main civic squares – Victoria, Chamberlain and Centenary (location of the Hall of Memory) Squares on 5th -13th November inclusively.
This means they are able to collect within the city for 16 consecutive days.
Street collection permits issued for 2011
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For more information please contact Simon Houltby on 0121 303 3503
Related posts:
Please see the hyperlink at the bottom of our statement – it links to a document that outlines the areas where collections have been licensed.
Please confirm what “or the major part of Birmingham every day” means.
As a serving Royal Naval officer and guard officer for the Royal Navy at The Cenotaph last year I find it incredible that Birmingham council did not have the fore sight to see that November would be a time when our Nation remembers those that have given the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country. The council is elected to serve the local population and does not make sacrifices to the extent that our Armed Forces and Emergency services make day in day out.
I served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was born in the local area. Had the other charities not intervened would the council still be standing by and enforcing this rule?Remember the sacrifices our forces make allows us the freedom to make choices whether right or wrong. Hopefully the council can learn a lesson from this issue.
Yours Aye.
Many thanks Rob
Clearly there was an oversight in making the booking and/or reserving the space from both the Council and Royal British Legion – meaning while they would have been able to collect in most of the city, there were some areas already given over on specific dates to other notable charities. Thankfully, thanks to the generous approach of those charities this situation has now been remedied. We are meeting with the Legion later to make sure everyone is aware of what needs to happen in the future, to ensure this situation does not occur again.
Whilst I applaud all charities that collect in need of others and are able to collect at any time of year; and while I am fully understand legal/policy requirements, you may not realise this but Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday are on the same date every year. Would it not be a positive step for the council, in recognition to our Service men and women of all era’s, to ensure a period of 2 weeks is set aside for British Legion collections running up to Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. This would fall in line with the Military Covenant that all political parties have agreed upon.
Too much red tape/policies/laws inhibit governments, councils and agencies from working for the betterment of society – if it doesn’t work, change it.
I recently returned from the US where they treat their Armed forces and veterans with a great deal more respect and dignity than we do here and this episode is just another nonsense council’s waste time and taxes on.