November 13: Powers available to regulate street fundraisers

I READ with interest Michele Todd’s piece “Strict regulation would benefit charity sector” (The Yorkshire Post, November 10).

Ms Todd rightly recognises the damage that poor fundraising does to the charity sector and the need for tighter regulation to combat it where it exists.

However, in respect of street fundraising, many of the stricter regulatory tools she proposes are already available to councils.

The PFRA has set up co-regulatory agreements with over 100 local authorities which put strict limits on where, when and how many face-to-face fundraisers can operate in a local area. This approach comprehensively covers those charities and agencies operating on the street, and has been found to be highly successful – nearly 90 per cent of councils who have worked with us say they would recommend their agreement to others. We also have a mystery shopping programme that spot-checks fundraisers’ behaviour.

Where a fundraiser is found to breach our rules, the PFRA has powers to fine the relevant charity or agency. We would urge any local authority with concerns to contact the PFRA to set up a co-regulatory agreement for their area.