Manchester signs agreement to regulate street fundraising

18 February 2011

Shoppers and visitors to Manchester city centre will welcome a new agreement to regulate on-street fundraising that was signed today (Thursday 17 February 2011).

Manchester joins 39 other UK towns and cities including Leeds and Sheffield in having a street fundraising agreement.

The joint agreement, which was drafted by CityCo, the city centre management company, in conjunction with the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA), the charity-led membership body that self regulates all forms of direct debit ‘face-to-face' fundraising, has been approved by Manchester City Council.

It sets out four dedicated zones in the city centre where face-to-face fundraising activity can take place and will take effect from Monday 28 February 2011.

These include:
Zone 1 - The bottom of Market Street under the canopy near Boots
Zone 2 - The Oldham Street end of Piccadilly Gardens near the statue
Zone 3 - Outside the main entrance to the Manchester Arndale and next to the Manchester Wheel
Zone 4 - St Ann's Square outside the Royal Exchange Theatre

The number of fundraisers is limited to five per zone and they will only be allowed to fundraise on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9am and 6pm. No fundraising will be permitted in the city centre at weekends or evenings. Manchester is the first city to set up a dedicated reporting facility to help monitor street fundraising activity. Anyone can report any fundraisers who appear to be breaking the agreement by emailing streetfundraising@cityco.com.

All fundraisers also have to abide by the already established national code of professional conduct. Members of the public who feel they do not abide by this code can contact the PFRA directly on 020 7401 8452 or through the ‘complaint' button on the website www.pfra.org.uk.

Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester City Council's city centre spokesperson said: "We believe we have achieved a breakthrough agreement that is acceptable to all parties concerned. We know there was a lot of debate about this issue last year and we have worked hard to address it. It's important that Manchester city centre remains a pleasant place to work, live and visit but we also recognise charities have the legal right to fundraise on our streets. Working closely with the PFRA and regulating the practice seems the sensible way forward. Manchester has yet again led the way by offering a dedicated reporting channel to help us monitor the practice."

Gary Ellis, operations director of Manchester city centre management company, CityCo said: "It's great to have been able to agree on a satisfactory arrangement with the PFRA. This voluntary agreement will ensure there is a balance between allowing charities their right to fundraise and enabling the public to go about their business without any inconvenience. It's important the city centre is an attractive environment to shop and socialise and this remains our priority."

Dr Toby Ganley, PFRA's head of policy, said: "CityCo staff and council officials have put in a lot of time and effort into getting this agreement with the PFRA right and we believe it will be effort well spent. Any time a fundraiser breaks the agreement or the best practice code, CityCo can come straight to us and we'll put it right.

"Face-to-face fundraising is a valuable income source for many charities, brining in about £10m a month. But no-one should feel guilty about not stopping to talk to a fundraiser. If you don't want to give, just walk on by. People have a right to decline to give to a charity – but a charity has an equal right to ask them to support their cause and their beneficiaries and this is what the new agreement with Manchester City Council and CityCo enshrines."

For more information on CityCo visit www.cityco.com

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