'Chuggers' face major shake-up under new regulations

The new rules will restrict the actions of fundraisers.

The regulations are set to be imposed by the business chief responsible for promoting and managing the city centre who previously branded the so-called "chuggers" a blight on the city.

Tom Campbell, chief executive of Essential Edinburgh, is now working with the body that represents "face-to-face fundraisers" to develop the series of rules for the charities that are operating on and around Princes Street.

Edinburgh will be the first town or city in Scotland to reach a detailed formal agreement on how charities are allowed to operate.

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It will mean that the fundraisers will only be able to speak to shoppers on specific locations on Princes Street, and could see them banned on specific days, such as weekends.

There will also be a limit imposed on the number of fundraisers from one charity that are allowed to operate on the street.

A fundraiser's "diary" will also be introduced that means only one charity is able to operate on any specific day.

Dr Toby Ganley, head of policy at the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA), is due to meet with Mr Campbell next month to draw up the agreement. He said: "A site management agreement (SMA) sets controls on how many fundraisers may operate, days of the week they may attend and also delineates the sites at which they may work."

SMAs exist in a number of English and Welsh towns but Edinburgh is set to be the first Scottish city to draw up the formal agreement with the PFRA, the self-regulatory body of all charities that employ staff to go into city centres and ask members of the public to sign up to direct debit payments.

The tactics of charity fundraisers have faced widespread criticism and Mr Campbell said in an Evening News story last year that they were a bigger problem than beggars.

Dr Ganley said: "We realise that this method of fundraising does not appeal to everyone and if you don't want to give to a street fundraiser, you shouldn't feel bad or guilty about just walking on by. The last thing charities fundraising in Edinburgh want to do is guilt-trip people into giving."

Mr Campbell said: "I will be having a meeting with the PFRA about an agreement. They have a draft template for an agreement they use across the UK, and we will look at specifics like area boundaries, where the site agreement will extend to and what are the operating hours we will work to."

MUG UP ON CHUGGING

THE rules and regulations on 'chuggers' can cover. . .

The exact locations on a street that fundraisers can work from

The days of the week fundraisers can and cannot work

How many fundraisers from one charity can work on one specific day (normally between three and six)

Whether bags are allowed to be left on the pavement

Whether a non-fundraising team leader is allowed to be present

The use of a diary, meaning only one charity is allowed to operate on any one day

Once the agreement is formalised, council officials can take complaints to the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association.