Is Chugging Legal?

Since chuggers ask for direct debit sign-up rather than actual cash, they escape a lot of legal issues. Some local authorities have got themselves local bylaws saying that no person in the street or a public place should solicit custom for a service or seek to gather information in such a manner as to cause an obstruction or to give reason for annoyance with a fine of £500. No one has been prosecuted yet – possibly because cases may be hard to prove.


It’s my belief that neither the councils or the industry want a case to go to trial. If the chuggers were to win, it would be open season on the High Street. If they lost it would be a terrible blow to the industry. Although both sides would like to win such a case, they probably fear losing it even more.


So, the chugger’s trade club, the PFRA have been seeking to head off the possibility by negotiating “Site Management Agreements” with the councils to limit the location, days and number of chuggers. The attraction for Councils is that they don’t have to negotiate with individual charities. For the PFRA, it means that charities almost have to join up if they want to use chuggers.

A few documents on Site Management Agreements:

• Text of an agreement in Lancaster
•  Council approves scheme to regulate 'chuggers' in Cheltenham
• Wolverhampton limits days street fundraisers can operate
• Islington Council seeks ban on street fundraising