Justin Tomlinson visiting the Swindon BHF shop on Havelock Street - it will be national
charities like the BHF that will suffer from the proposed change
Justin Tomlinson MP today wrote to Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society, urging him not to accept Lord Hodgson's recommendation that National Exemption Orders (NEOs), which are so vital to the work of many charities, should be scrapped.
NEOs allow charities to carry out household collections for goods and donations across England and Wales without having to apply for a separate licence from each local authority. This allows charities to run larger fundraising campaigns and to undertake more collections for donations and goods to stock their charity shops.
One charity estimated that the requirement to apply for separate local licences for collections of money would lead to a 20% reduction in income from direct debits, putting in serious jeopardy the life-saving work that many charities currently fund
Justin Tomlinson MP said "Many charities are concerned about the impact that scrapping NEOs would have on their future funding, and are also worried that it may result in the closure of some of their charity shops due to lack of stock. The scrapping of the NEOs would have a devastating impact on our valued national charities."