A company that delivered charity collection bags without the correct licence has been prosecuted following an investigation by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Trading Standards officers.
SOS Support Limited was convicted of promoting a charitable collection in the Penpedairheol area of Caerphilly county borough without first obtaining a local authority licence to do so.
The case was heard at Abergavenny Magistrates Court on 27th January 2012. The company was fined £900 and ordered to pay costs of the local authority of £520.
Cllr Rob Gough, Cabinet Member for Public Protection said, “The charitable collection licensing system is designed to ensure that those purporting to be collecting for a charity are passing on a reasonable proportion of the proceeds of that collection”.
He continued, “By doing this it ensures that charities are obtaining the money claimed to be passed over. By collecting without a licence these safeguards cannot be put in place, potentially putting charities at risk of not receiving any funds made in their name”.
SOS Support Limited had previously been issued with two warnings telling them not to collect without a local authority licence.
The advice Trading Standards are offering is to ‘Give with Care’ by checking for a UK charity number on any collection bags or leaflets. Numbers can be checked on the Charity Commission website or by calling 0845 300 0218. The safest option is to take clothing along to a local charity shop if at all possible.
For further information or to report a concern, please contact Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Trading Standards team on 01495 235 291.
